Return to Twilight
by Vir Honestus
Summary: Five years after the events in Twilight Princess, Link must once again fight an ancient evil and be reunited with the one he loves. *All characters are property of Nintendo, excluding original characters created by myself.*
1. Chapter 1

It was five years ago that she had parted ways from him. She stepped through a mirror of light and shattered it with her tears, leaving him with no way to reach her again. Link now at the age of twenty-two spends his time either working or venturing through the forest in silence while his mind travels back to thoughts of her. Currently the Hero of the Twilight was making his way back to his home from within the forest, he had gone hunting for rabbits or deer to help feed the peaceful village of Ordon. Even though he was a Hero Link still had duties to attend to back at his homestead. As he made his way back his mind wandered to thoughts of the past.

After saving the land of Hyrule from the Twilight, then the attack from Ganondorf Link went back to his normal life slowly and especially uneasily. For a few months he would speak to no one and would stay within his tree house to himself. Not even the Princess Zelda could get him to feel better.

The residents of Ordon could tell that something major had happened on his journey that caused him a great deal of pain, and so they let him be for a while. Illia, Links long time admirer would wait outside his house hoping that he would come out to greet her but when that did not work she sadly left him alone herself. Eventually Rusl, the only father figure that Link had decided to intervene. Rusl made his way to Links tree house and knocked on the door and when no answer was heard he braced his shoulder, took a step back and then barreled his way through Links door smashing the lock. Entering the house Rusl was disappointed to see Link slumped at his dining room table with a mug of ale between his hands. Looking around Rusl could see several oak barrels that were already empty and knew Link had been drinking for a while.

"Is this what you are reduced to? Moping around and slowing your mind with drink!? You used to be so full of life, the children loved you and now they are forgetting who you are to them. Uli is worried sick about you, if she knew that you were drinking at your age she would bring the goddesses themselves down upon you." said Rusl.

Link lifted his eyes to look at Rusl and sighed.

"It's none of your business." responded Link.

"Listen boy, you may have saved this land of ours but I wont hesitate to knock some sense into you. Now stand up." ordered Rusl.

Link stood with the mug of ale still in hand.

Rusl snatched the mug from Link and threw it out of the now broken door, where it landed on the ground with a splash.

"Lets go outside." said Rusl.

Rusl waited for Link to go ahead of him and when he was in front of the ladder that led down to the ground below he delivered a swift kick to Links backside causing him to fall face first into the dirt.

Link growled and rolled over to glare at Rusl.

"What was that for?!" he shouted.

"That, was for making Uli and I worry about you so much." said Rusl with a few tears forming in his eyes.

Links glare softened and he eventually was staring at the ground. Rusl climbed down to help Link up.

"Come one we can talk about what caused you to be this way back at my home, oh and don't worry about the door. I'll fix it for you. Uli is making dinner for us so that you can have a good home cooked meal."

That night Link relayed most all of the events that had happened to him on his journey though he never once mentioned her name. It was early in the morning when they had finished. Colin had been long to bed as well as Ulis' newborn infant.

"Who was this companion of yours, you never did mention her name?" asked Uli.

"Her name is Midna." said Link.

That was the first time he had said her name in months and it was like relieving a great burden off of his shoulders.

From that day forward Link began working in the village once more and even began to smile again. Although his depression of losing Midna was never far away and some nights he would wake with nightmares of when she shattered the mirror of Twilight, or of something far worse, her death right before his eyes.

As he made his way back into the village with three rabbits strung over his shoulders Link was greeted by the children whom he had originally went out to save, and that began his quest.

"How many today Link? Just three?" asked Talo.

"Yea they were rather scarce today." said Link.

"Well give them to us and we'll take them to father for him to cook for the dinner tonight." said Malo.

"Sure thing. Here you go." said Link as he handed over the rabbits.

Link then began making his way towards Fados ranch as he scratched at the stubble that was growing back in on his neck, chin and upper lip.

"I just shaved two days ago..." he said aloud.

"The benefits of being a man, eh Link?" asked a voice to his left.

"Ah Bo, how are you today?" asked Link.

"Fine my boy, just fine. Off to help at the ranch I see." said Bo.

"Yea Fado never could finish the days chores by himself." said Link as he and Bo shared a laugh.

"How are the new clothes fitting you?" asked Bo.

Link looked down at himself and took note of what he was wearing. He was currently wearing a pair of old leather work boots, a pair of cotton pants stained brown, a cotton top with embroidery that displayed the sign of Ordon village and a scarf around his waist that hung off to one side. And even as he stood still Link could feel the weight of the master sword and his shield on his back even though they were long gone. The master sword was back in its place in the old Temple of Time and Link had put his shield in a chest in his basement, from time to time he would borrow Rusls' sword if he planned to leave the village for a while.

"They fit very nicely, let Illia know I said thanks." said Link as he turned to leave.

Link made his way to Fados ranch and saddled Epona his faithful horse.

"Ah just in time Link, I could use our help with herding in the goats. My knees aren't what they used to be." said Fado.

Link went about his task herding the goats into the barn then Fado, Epona and himself all left together. The sun was setting when they left and Link bid Fado goodnight before going back to his house. Link tied Epona to the post outside his home then went inside. Climbing to his bed at the top floor Link pulled off his shirt and the scarf around his waist, he kicked off his boots and left his pants on then fell face first into the bed.

Later that same night Link awoke in a cold sweat, with the moon shinning high in the sky.

"By the Goddesses, will these dreams ever end. Why do they torment me so much. Is it possible just to forget it all. Of course it isn't. I fell in love with her after all." said Link to nothing but the air around him.

Link lay back down and slowly drifted back into his dreams muttering the same name over and over again in his sleep.

"Midna...Midna...Midna."


	2. Chapter 2

"Your Highness. Your Highness, it's time to wake up."

After a long pause, the sound of a door with a metal handle and latch could be heard opening. Next came the footsteps, someone had a pair of worn boots on and was approaching a large four poster bed. The male figure wore a pair of cotton pants that were stained black. He wore a light red undershirt and over it was a black coat with red embroidery and was tied around the waist with a wide leather belt.

"Your Highness, it is time for you to awaken. There is much to do today."

From under the covers, a head of deep amber hair that could resemble fire in the correct light began to show itself.

"Already? Just a few more moments Evander."

"I'm sorry, my Lady, but the council meeting is in just two hours. You need to be ready and have eaten something by that time." said Evander

The figure under the covers sighed.

"Alright, alright. Give me a moment."

The man walked away and shut the door. With the sound of the latch clicking into place, the one beneath the covers propped themselves up on their elbows.

"Always so early in the morning, can't a Queen have a few more minutes of sleep?"

The woman then moved herself out of her bed and went behind a changing screen. Removing her nightgown, she put on a simple gown of black silk that split up the leg to the hip and then she wore a matching top that had green embroidery on it. Instead of brushing out her long hair, she decided to put it into a simple ponytail and give it a quick brushing instead. Putting on a silver necklace, she then checked herself in a full length mirror. Once satisfied, she made her way to the door after putting on a pair of short heeled shoes.

Opening the door she noticed Evander leaning against the wall outside waiting for her, she took note of his appearance for what to her felt like the millionth time. Evander had short blonde hair that was spiked and had pale yellow eyes.

"Always the one to wake up late, eh Midna?" asked Evander.

"The difficulties of being a Queen I suppose, I do have a land to rule don't I." she said.

Midna and Evander made their way down to the main hall where the smells of the morning breakfast could be found. Walking side by side, Midna could see from Evanders slightly rolled sleeves that his tattoos of office were glowing dimly in the light. The tattoos marked his office as adviser to the Queen, though their relationship went back much further than just office. They were friends in their childhood.

Midna looked at the wall to her right as she did every morning before going down to the main hall. This morning though she paused to stare at a painting. The painting was of a wolf standing in a guard position with a small imp upon its back, the imp was wearing what appeared to be the Twilian fused shadows. Midna stared a little longer than normal this morning and Evander took notice.

"It was five years ago wasn't it?" he asked.

"Yes...it was." responded Midna sadly.

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"Link...I...See you later."

Those were the last words she had spoken to him before she entered the Twilight Mirrors portal and shattered it with one of her tears.

She couldn't tell him how she felt, she loved him, but she knew that they may never see each other again so she didn't say what she felt.

Entering back into the Twilight Realm just before the Twilight Palace, Midna fell to her knees crying from the decision she had just made. She turned back to the open void of the Twilight.

"Please, let me go back, please. I didn't want this...Link!" she shouted into her own tears.

Midna remained there for a while letting the impact of her decision settle upon her. She had just severed the ties to the only man she had ever loved, the man who had risked everything for her, even his own life just so that she could be happy once more. Their relationship started out of necessity but evolved rapidly into affection. Before she knew it, she was in love with him. The main driving force that made her shatter the mirror was it could be used to send another enemy into the Twilight or into Hyrule. Midna knew she had to protect her people and doing so meant destroying her only link to the realm of Light.

Eventually Midna rose from her spot on the ground and turned to face the Palace. Upon its walls, she could see figures moving around all staring at her. She began walking forwards when the gates opened and welcomed her home. Standing on the other side of the gates was her most trusted friend Evander. He had been with her for a long while and the smile on his face quickly disappeared once he realized that everything was not alright with her.

"My lady..." he said.

"Evander...tell the council we have a lot of work to do." she said with a shaky voice.

For a few days, Midna played the part of the reigning princess, and began the rebuilding of her lands after Zant had caused mass chaos. Council meetings were held and finished without anyone realizing the true pain behind her eyes, except for Evander.

At night, when the palace was asleep, she and Evander would go to the gardens and he would console her for her griefs. He listened to the tales of the Light Realm and of the Hero who had saved both the Light Realm and the Twilight Realm. He listened to how they had journeyed to places she could only dream of and eventually she painted a portrait of Link herself. That painting was kept in her chambers behind a black cloth. Every once in a while, she would remove the cloth and weep in front of the painting hoping that Link would walk through it.

Day to day Midna carried out her duties as princess until the council decided that a king was necessary. Midna adamantly refused and eventually won her side of the argument to allow her to be reigning queen without a king. If she could rule over a land as a princess, then she could do so just as well as a queen.

After a time, three years passed, and Midna had commissioned a project to explore the ancient ruins of the Twili. Evander opted to lead the project and became head archaeologist along with adviser. Time went on, and nothing of major importance was found until one day Evander and his young apprentice Griffin came barreling through the throne room doors startling all in attendance. With all eyes on them, Evander made an announcement.

"Your Highness...we found something...that you might want to know about." he said huffing and puffing.

"What did you find Evander?" asked Midna her eyes lighting up in hope.

"Sorry for speaking out of turn your Highness, but we found something within a book." said Griffin.

"A book?" asked Midna.

"Yes, very ancient, very valuable. It may be one of the earliest books written by our ancestors." said Evander.

"And what does this book contain?" asked Midna now on the edge of her throne.

"It would seem to be a portal, older than the Twilight Mirror." said Evander.

Midna left the throne room so quickly that no one realized until she was turning the corner and making her way to the stairs that led to her chambers.

Throwing open the door to her bedroom, Midna removed the black cloth covering Links portrait. Shortly after both Evander and Griffin appeared in the doorway to see her gently touching the paint on the canvas.

"I know what you're thinking Midna. Please don't get your hopes up to high to soon. We don't even know if this portal still exists in our day and age; we also don't know where to begin looking." said Evander.

"Well, we shall have to change that won't we? I'm giving you full authority on this matter Evander, search every book we have for clues as to where it could be located. I'll try to keep my expectations down until you have more information," said Midna.

"My Queen." said Evander with a bow.

Griffin mimicked him and followed quickly after him on their way to the Palace library.

Midna turned back to the painting once more.

"Link...we may be able to see each other once more."

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Midna turned from the painting of the wolf and began making her way down the stairs to the main hall.

"Oh yes, have you made any more progress on the portal that you and Griffin discovered?" asked Midna.

"After two years, we have barely found anything close to a hint. It may be best to just give up on this idea, Midna," said Evander.

"You can't give up yet, I have a feeling you are getting closer. Tell Griffin to search day and night if he has to." said Midna cheerfully.

"I'm sure he'd love to hear that." said Evander with a healthy amount of sarcasm in his voice.

"He really is something else though, he managed to learn all I could teach him in just over a year and now he leads the other scholars while I take care of my duties as your adviser." continued Evander.

"Well he does have a great teacher after all." said Midna.

Evander smiled at the compliment while he and Midna entered into the dinning hall. The smells of the morning breakfast overtook them both as their stomach growled together.

They shared a laugh and then got some food.

"Midna, you know the council wants you to marry still, and some of them are still bitter that you had your way with that decision." said Evander while eating.

"Well they will continue to be bitter. I won't marry another man." said Midna.

"It's been five years now, have you ever considered he may have forgotten you?" asked Evander.

"No. I can just feel it, he would never forget." said Midna.

After they had finished eating, Evander and Midna parted ways and went about their daily business until the Twilian sun began to set and the Palace began to retire. Midna then stood out on her balcony that connected to her bedroom and stared out into the sunset.

"Link...you haven't forgotten me...have you?"


	3. Chapter 3

Link awoke the next morning to the bright morning sun shinning in his face. As he rose from his bed, he remembered that today was his day off of chores. With a relaxed sigh, he climbed out of his bed and put on a fresh shirt and pants. Using his fingers, he attempted to comb his unruly hair in a somewhat organized fashion although he failed miserably. Climbing down the few ladders that led to his bedroom, he made a quick breakfast of cucco eggs and some Ordon cow steaks. After eating, he washed his face and stared into the small mirror that he had. His deep blue eyes looked back at him, and for a second, he thought he saw a brief glimpse of a wolf as his reflection.

Moving away from the mirror, Link recalled the many times that he had transformed into a wolf during his journey with Midna. If the goddesses saw that being turned into a wolf once the curtain of Twilight passed over was a protection for him, then they had a strange sense of humor. He then went to his front door and put on his boots, worn from long and extended use; they seemed about to fall apart. Opening his door, Link stepped into the morning sun letting it warm him. He shut the door behind him and climbed down the short ladder. To his right, Epona whinnied a greeting as Link walked over and began to pat her sides.

"Morning girl, did you sleep well last night. I bet you did."

Epona mustered a snort in response.

"Perhaps, we could go for a ride across Hyrule field later today." said Link.

Link new Epona loved to run freely and when he said that her ears perked up.

"I'll be back later." he said.

Link then went to the entrance of the village and put his hands behind his head as he walked into the village itself.

Making his way in he passed by Fado who was on his way to the ranch.

"Oh, good morning Link, it's your day off today isn't it?" he asked.

"Yes it is. I could use a break anyways." said Link.

"Oh well Rusl is looking for you just to let you know, he said to stop by his house." said Fado.

"Thanks for letting me know." said Link as he walked away.

If Rusl was looking for him then it meant it was important.

Reaching Rusls' home Link knocked on the door. It was answered by Uli who had a young child behind her who was about the age of four or five.

Link knelt down to greet the child.

"How are we today Kaden?" asked Link.

"I'm ok." said Kaden.

"Just ok? Come and give me a hug." said Link.

At this, Kaden happily ran to Link as he picked him up off the ground and held him with one arm.

Kaden is Uli and Rusls' second child, Uli was pregnant and near giving birth when Link began his journey. Once he was born, Link assisted with taking care of Kaden and they had formed a strong relationship. Uli just smiled as Link held her son.

"Oh Link did you know Rusl was looking for you?" she asked.

"That's why I'm here actually." said Link as he set down Kaden whom ran back into the house.

"He isn't here right now but he wants you to meet him at the spring near the bridge." said Uli.

"Alright, thanks Uli." said Link as he turned to leave.

Link then made his way to the Ordon spring where if one listened closely they could hear the great fairy singing softly.

Reaching it, Link found Rusl sitting in the sand thinking to himself. Hearing the footsteps behind him, Rusl stood to see who was there.

"Oh good morning Link." he said.

"Morning, Uli said you were looking for me?" asked Link.

"I was. I hate to ask you a favor on your day off but I need you to deliver something for me to the castle. I have a request sword at my house for one of the guards. It's also a very important guard." said Rusl.

"Really? Which one?" asked Link.

"This one is the princess's personal guards." said Rusl.

"Must be Kent then. He is the only one without a custom sword. You know, you should consider moving to the capital with all the requests you get for swords or metal work; you would make a nice living there." said Link.

"Perhaps, but I love the peace of the woods here, the capital is too crowded and noisy for my taste, besides that's why we have you to make deliveries for us." laughed Rusl which Link joined in on.

"When do you need it delivered?" asked Link.

"I told him it could be there as early as this afternoon." said Rusl.

Link looked up to the sky to see where the sun was.

"Not much time left then eh?" he asked.

"No, would you be able to? You and Epona are the fastest riders I've ever seen." said Rusl.

"Sure, its not a problem. I've wanted to see the progress on the castle after all; it should be nearly done and Epona is eager to run for a little bit." said Link.

"Ah thank the Goddesses for you Link. I'll go get the sword while you get ready." said Rusl.

They both walked back to the village separating at Link's house. Link then went inside to grab some of his gear. He went into the basement, opening a well made wooden chest, he pulled out his Hylian shield and strapped it on; he then grabbed his pouch which was enchanted and allowed him to put nearly anything into it. Inside the chest were all the items he had used in his previous journey. Deciding to take the two claw shots, bow and arrows, and a bottle, Link put it all into his pouch. He strapped the pouch to his waist then turned to leave the basement.

Link emerged outside to find Rusl holding two wrapped sword as well as his own on his back.

"He ordered two swords?" asked Link.

"No this one is his." said Rusl as he removed the cloth from one of the blades.

The blade was expertly made with a razor sharp cutting edge and sharpened to a mirror shine. It looked silver but was actually made of Hylian steel, and the hilt was a similar metal called Goron iron. It could withstand a serious amount of strain and when polished it made the small crystals in the metal shine. The design of the hilt was simple with a wrapping of leather for grip and a red ruby set into the hilt that signified Kent to be princess Zelda's guard.

"And this blade is yours." continued Rusl.

Rusl removed the cloth from the second blade and presented it to Link.

The blade itself was made of the same Hylian steel and sharpened to a mirror shine, both blades were double edged. The hilt of Link's was also made of Goron iron but was shaped into what appeared to be a eagle with its wings outstretched with the Triforce in between its wings.

"I know it doesn't compare to the Master Sword but it will get you out of trouble should you need it." finished Rusl.

Link took the blade gently and balanced it on his finger.

"It barely moves, this is an exquisite blade." said Link.

Rusl bowed and smiled.

"Now take good care of that blade and get on with that delivery." joked Rusl.

Link then saddled Epona and once he was done he set off for Hyrule field.

"To the castle girl." said Link to Epona.

Epona whinnied and began moving at a trot.

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A short while later, Link arrived at the gates of the Market Town that stood outside of Hyrule castle. Looking up to the castle, Link could see the scaffolding with masons and carpenters walking on them, hauling marble and wood to the top. It seemed that all that was left to remake was the spire on the top of the castle. Zelda had made some changes when the blueprints were being drawn but things still looked almost the same as before. Link led Epona through the crowd of people going about their business at the market with a few stopping to greet.

"Hello, Hero."

"Good afternoon Link."

He nodded in turn to each of them, even after five years people still treated him like a hero. Link then went north in the market towards the castle.

Making his way to the castle gates, two guards stopped him.

"Halt, who approaches the cas...Oh its you Link. Here to see the princess today?" one of the guards asked.

"Not exactly, I will pay her a visit but I'm here on business from Rusl today. Is Zelda still working with the builders?" asked Link.

"Yes. Even though the council doesn't like it. She says that if she is to rule better than she should know what true hard work is. Apparently, she has earned the respect of almost all the masons and carpenters." said the guard.

"Impressive." said Link as the guards let him through.

Link got off Epona as a stable boy came to lead her away to the stables. Link then went to the castle from door and knocked loudly. It was opened swiftly by a elderly looking man, although if you let him fool you, he seemed old and feeble but could move faster than most men at open sprint.

"Ah Link, what brings you to the castle today?" asked the man.

"Business today Cyrus, also I want to speak with Zelda." said Link.

"Ah the princess is working with the builders right now. Shall I go fetch her?" asked Cyrus.

"No need. If she is there then my business will be close by. I have a sword for Kent. Oh is the enchantment still in place?" asked Link.

"Yes, the princess decided to leave it even after the construction is complete to aid the people who visit the castle or those who work here." said Cyrus.

"Perfect. I'll be on my way then." said Link.

The enchantment the two were referring to was one that replenished one's stamina endlessly and allowed them to not tire. For Link, it meant he could run through the castle at full sprint without having to take a break.

_One, Two, Three!_ thought Link as he lined himself up in front of the main stairs.

He took off at full sprint taking the stair two or three at a time. He ran down the halls as quickly as he could. For him, it was like being a wolf again, and feeling the wind rush past his face brought him to a smile. As he passed servants and maids, he called for them to watch out. The servants chuckled to themselves while the maids blushed as Link smiled and ran past his hair pulling behind him. As Link neared the top floor, he began to slow down, and once at the top where the construction was taking place, he was walking again. He could hear the builders calling orders and the crash of hammers falling.

From a distance, Link could see Zelda placing down mortar as a marble block was slowly lifted down onto another. The area of the wall she was working on was the last one to be done. Workers were already constructing the roof that was but a skeleton right now. They were using pulleys and man powered cranes to lift everything that high.

Link walked into the main throne room searching for Kent and found him standing guard with Zelda's other three personal guards. They were sitting on crates talking amongst themselves.

"So much for guard duty, eh lads?" asked Link as he approached.

Immediately, the four rose to their feet and placed their right fist over their hearts.

"Guys, I told you that you don't have to salute me anymore." said Link.

"But by the princess's orders, you have the rank of general. You could control the army of Hyrule if the need arose so we must salute you." said the guard with a green gem in his sword's hilt.

"Kent, Tarn, Sten and Rike, at ease." said Link. The men all relaxed at the order.

"There that is much better. I don't want to lead if I don't have to though." said Link.

The men chuckled. Each of them had a sword with a different gem in the pommel of the hilt. Tarn had a blue sapphire, Sten had a green emerald, Rike had a purple amethyst and Kent would soon be getting one with a red ruby in it.

"Kent, I have your sword from Rusl." said Link.

Kent's face lit in excitement as Link removed the sword from his back. He had strapped his own sword to his hip. Kent took the blade and began admiring it. As he was, Link heard the snap of a rope and looked up to where Zelda was standing. A crane had begun to loose its holdings on the ropes, and the material it was holding was about to fall. Link quickly pulled out his double claw shots and aimed for a metal rod in the wall. Once it was secured, he pulled himself to it and then aimed for another one much higher up; once connected, he repeated the process. He heard another rope snap then a warning called out.

"Come on, one more pole." he growled to himself.

Link aimed for both a pole above him and the material that was wrapped in sturdy rope at once. The claw shots extended and connected. Link braced himself for the pull about to happen. The workers below had dropped to their knees and covered their heads as well as Zelda whom was in the direct line of the material. The claw shot tightened and a snap could be heard as the chains locked in place. The material pulled Link viciously almost causing him to let go of the claw shot itself. The material then swung into the side of the castle wall leaving a small fracture in the stone.

Once the workers realized that they were not going to die, they looked up to see Link struggling to keep the material from falling on their heads.

"Get the poles over here! Now!" shouted the foreman of the construction crews.

Once the material was secured and able to be lowered safely, Link released the claw shots and fell onto the scaffolding with a thud.

Zelda came rushing over to help him up.

"Always arriving in the nick of time, aren't you?" she asked.

"It's what I do best it seems." said Link as he stood up and stretched his arms. They were a little bruised but nothing time couldn't heal. He still had full motion of his arms and it didn't hurt terribly bad. Link looked at Zelda. Her hair was in a ponytail that was pinned to the nap of her neck. She was wearing a mortar covers shirt and pair of pants as well as simple work boots. She had developed more muscle than when she started and could hold her own with the current workers.

"It still doesn't feel right seeing you work like that." said Link.

Zelda laughed before she responded.

"You should have seen the council the first time I went to a meeting with these clothes on."

At this, they both shared a long laugh.

"So what brings you to the castle?" asked Zelda.

"I had a delivery for Rusl. Kents' sword is finished." said Link.

"Ah running errands I see. Well if you are in the mood to help me out, I would greatly appreciate it." said Zelda.

"What is it that you need?" asked Link.

"I've heard rumors that an ancient Hyrule family heirloom has been found." said Zelda.

"Let me guess, you want me to go get it?" asked Link.

"Please?" said Zelda.

"Alright, alright. I'll go get it. What is it exactly?" he asked.

"It's a ring that is enchanted. The exact enchantment I do not know." said Zelda.

"Hmm where is it?" he asked.

"I heard that it is in the Arbiter's Grounds." said Zelda.

"Who puts these things in such strange places?" asked Link more of to himself than anyone.

"I'm not sure but it could be valuable. I guess I'll see you when you get back then?" asked Zelda.

"Of course. A short visit, but I guess I better go get that ring." said Link as he turned away to make his trek back down to the bottom of the castle.

Zelda watched him go and could tell that even though he appeared happy and content something was still not right with Link. She wondered if he had been back to the Arbiter's Grounds since the event. Since Link has said it would be a short visit she doubted he had.


	4. Chapter 4

"For the hundredth time Lord Timus, I will not be marrying any time soon." said Midna with a sigh.

She was in the midst of a council meeting that had begun as planned, the process of the lands income was first on the agenda, next came the needs of the people such as food and shelter and then Lord Timus brought up the fact that there was no king yet which sparked a 'discussion' between the lords and ladies of the council.

Midna was beginning to feel a headache brewing behind her eyes.

"I believe it may be best that we have a hour break for lunch." said Midna.

As the council steward took it as a command from the queen he rang a small bell and announced.

"The council will retire for one hour and continue once all members are present once more."

With a scuff of chairs and shuffle of robes the councilmen and women left the hall each displaying the metal patch on their shoulders that displayed their office. Midna then sat alone in her chair and laid her head on the circular table sighing to herself.

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Meanwhile in the palace library Griffin and Evander were hard at work together reading the many books that had history on the Twilight realm. While Midna was in the council it gave them time to work together which was rare when Evander had to take care of his other duties as adviser.

"Nothing important in this one" said Griffin.

Evander looked up at his apprentice with a smug grin.

Griffin was a young Twilian whom was at the age of nineteen, he had blonde hair that flowed down the back of his neck to his shoulders. He would pin his bangs to the side of his head causing it to look like a small curve descended from his forehead to his sideburns. He stood only a head shorter than Evander and had blonde eyes to match his hair. He wore a scholars robe that went from his right shoulder to his left hip and went over his legs slightly. He wore a pair of worn pants and a simple set of boots.

"All books have importance Griffin-" said Evander as he was cut off.

"Or else someone would not have taken the time to write them." finished Griffin. "I know, I know but you know what I meant." he finished.

Evander gave a small chuckle.

"Yes I knew, hmm...how about you read through the volumes on the ancient Twilian magic, perhaps you missed something the last time." said Evander.

"Alright, but I don't think anything knew will show up." said Griffin.

"You never know." replied Evander.

Griffin then went off into the library and gathered up the volumes that Evander had suggested, all twenty of them. Setting them down on his desk near the back of the library Evander began to read again via candlelight.

As he skimmed through the pages and turned each one, one after the other something suddenly caught his eye. He read through the page several times and found nothing, sighing he turned the page once more and again a small detail grabbed his eye.

He hurriedly flipped the paper back again to see what it was but found nothing frustrated he lifted the page without flipping it when he noticed what had drawn his attention. Sitting in the top left corner of the page was a mark that could only be seen with light passing through it. Griffin grabbed a magnifying glass from his desks drawer and examined the marking. It seemed to him to be an eye with spikes coming out of it. Griffin then let down the page and looked at the words, focusing on finding something he angrily found nothing. Sighing to relax himself he starred blankly at the page when the key to it all hit him like a brick wall. The first letter of the words began to spell out new words.

Flipping back to the beginning of the first volume Griffin examined each page where he found a mark and wrote down the capitalized letters.

Eventually he had worked through all twenty volumes and ended up with a stack of papers that told a different history than what was hidden in the books. Griffin bound the papers together then began reading it to himself.

After several hours Griffin had finished reading the pamphlet and had also an even smaller stack of papers that were his own notes from the information he had gathered. It included hand drawn maps and words that were not of the Twilian language.

Griffin then stood and went in search of Evander with his notes in tow. After five years he had found the key to what they were looking for, he could only hope that it was all true and intact after all the time that had passed.

**********************************************************************************************

"The council is adjourned until the next week." said the council steward.

With another shuffling of robes and scrapes of chairs the council meeting was finally over. Midna let out a large sigh as Evander entered the large room after all the council members had left.

"A longer meeting than usual." he said.

"Yes all these lords and ladies insist that their province is the only one suffering. Yet they sit in their lush homes with servants instead of actually doing anything." said Midna.

"Greed is a terrible thing." replied Evander.

"Have you made any progress on your research as of yet?" asked Midna.

"My lady you ask me the same thing once a day, we haven't found anyth-" he said when he heard a shout down the hall.

"Evander! I found it! I have the answer we need!" shouted Griffin from afar.

"You were saying." said Midna with her eyes shining.

Griffin came barreling into the council hall his robes flapping behind him.

"I...found...the answer." he said trying to catch his breath.

Midna and Evander both waited patiently for him to finish.

"It was hidden in the histories of Twilian magic." said Griffin.

"I knew something was different about those books." said Evander.

"You didn't let me finish, one would not have noticed anything was different from the way we were looking at them. On certain pages were shadow marks that could only be seen through one side of the page so long as there was candle light to see by. If you saw the mark then something was hidden on the page. It turns out the first letter of each sentence began to spell out a different history." said Griffin.

"And what does it say?" asked Midna.

"It does reveal the location of the portal, but..." said Griffin trailing away at the end.

"But what?" asked Evander.

"Its located in the middle of the sapping fields." said Griffin.

"Now that makes sense. If you want to hide something put it somewhere will no one wants to go looking." said Evander.

"Do your notes say anything else?" asked Midna.

"Not much other than a few words written in another language." said Griffin.

"Very well, immediately tomorrow morning the two of you and the scholars will head to the sapping fields to find this portal." said Midna.

"By your orders." said Griffin and Evander together.

"Well we should go prepare now then, My lady." said Evander as the pair left.

Midna had not realized that she stood up from her chair when Griffin said he found the location of the portal and forced herself to sit. Her heart was beating rapidly and she felt slightly light headed.

"Link, I'm getting closer. Soon we can see each other once more." said Midna.

**********************************************************************************************

The following morning Midna bid farewell to Griffin and Evander. In total the trip should only take three or four days. In the meantime she would continue to do as she had always done. If they found nothing they would return on the fourth day, although if they did find the temple then they would contact her via Twilian magic.

On the second day of their journey to the sapping fields, Griffin and Evander looked upon a barren and dead wasteland. They stood on the edge of the sapping fields where not even grass would grow.

"Remember everyone if you begin to feel sick it is normal, however if you get light headed at any point, return to this spot as soon as you can. The sapping fields do not just take the life of plants and animals but also us, so everyone stay alert to your own body." said Evander loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Alright Griffin, you lead the way this time. You have the honor since you found the hidden message." said Evander.

Griffins face lit into a smile. As he took the first steps into the sapping lands he looked behind himself, past the scholars to their campsite. They had left the horses there so that they would not be affected by the sapping effect. The first hour went by comfortable and then the sickness set in. His stomach gave a sudden turn and he dry heaved. Once that was over he felt slightly better and continued on to lead them.

"Its this way, we should be seeing some old stones in the ground soon." said Griffin.

Eventually the scholars began to spread out in groups of two to search the ground quicker. A short while after a shout from across a small field of dead grass was heard.

"We found the stones!"

Griffin and Evander carefully made their way to the scholars and examined the stones.

"These are them, we are getting close. It should be in the center of these stones, they are laid out in a large circle." said Griffin.

The others then began searching in a large range looking for the next few stones, once they found a few more they could determine how large the circle would be and where the center would be. It did not take long for all the scholars to be separated in a large circle starting from the first stone they had found. Griffin and Evander then walked to the center of the circle and stood as if waiting for something to happen.

"Nothings here" said Evander.

"It can't be, all the notes add up and we are where we are supposed to be. So why isn't it here!" said Griffin in frustration.

"Perhaps the portal was once here, it may have been destroyed or time could have swept it away." said Evander.

"No! I refuse to believe that. How could you give up so easily." said Griffin.

"I'm not giving up boy! Remember who is the teacher here." said Evander seating Griffin on the ground as if he were a child.

"I don't want to see her hurt anymore, we gave her hope that we found a means to bring her back to the one she loves. I can't bear to watch that hope be crushed. So I'm not giving up, I'm just stating the facts." said Evander.

In frustration Griffin punched the ground to his side and received a dull thud as a result.

His face lit up in realization.

Standing up he began to stomp on the ground around him.

"What are you doing?" asked Evander annoyed at what appeared to be a childish moment.

"Shh, Listen to the thuds." said Griffin.

One was dense a packed while the other was soft and felt light.

"Its below us!" shouted Evander.

Griffin then began scrapping away the dirt from the area where he had heard the light thuds. It revealed a smooth a polished black stone that appeared to be rather large.

The other scholars came to help and soon enough they had uncovered a large stone tablet with the carving of an eye with spikes coming out of it.

"It's the same symbol from the books I read. This is it right here, just below this tablet." said Griffin.

"Did your notes explain how to open in?" asked Evander.

Griffin pulled them from his robe pocket and read through them quickly not finding the answer.

"Perhaps its one of the words from the other language?" said Griffin questioningly.

"That may be right since it was made in the ancient days of the Twilight realm." responded Evander.

Griffin then knelt next to the tablet and began speaking the words as best as he could.

"Trafsha...Brandral...Ondira" he spoke aloud.

After a moment he looked through his notes once more and found one more word to try.

"Scartash."

The eye suddenly began to glow and then the tablet slid back into a slot and slammed into place.

Before them appeared to be a long staircase leading into an inky blackness.

"Down we go. Torches out!" called Griffin as he led the way into the underground ruin.

Down and down they went, deeper into the earth.

"I wonder if it comes out of the bottom of the landmass." said Griffin.

"Now that would be impressive." said Evander.

After what seemed like an eternity they reached the bottom of the stairs and surprisingly they did not feel the sapping effect within the ruin. Before them were three doors. Two of wood on the left and right and one made of black stone with the same symbol of the eye on it. Griffin repeated the word and the door slid apart smoothly leading into a moderately sized circular room. Stepping into the room Griffin knew that this was the portal. His notes had described a circular room and it fit his notes perfectly.

"Contact her highness. We found the portal. This is it!" said Griffin excitedly.

Evander smiled himself and prepared to send Midna a message with a small bit of Twilian magic.

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Standing out on her balcony Midna was watching the setting of the dim sun which made the sky flare a brilliant twilight, to her the light realms sunset was much more spectacular but this was her homeland and she was proud of it none the less. Suddenly a shadow of darkness slid along the banister of the balcony and bubbled in front of her.

"It must be a message from Evander." she said to herself.

Gently she touched the shadowy mass and it floated in front of her to make a flat disc. The surfaced smoothed out and became almost reflective, then just as suddenly Evanders face appeared within the shadows.

"Midna, we found the portal."


	5. Chapter 5

Link emerged from the castle gates and went to the stable to fetch Epona. Offering the stable boy a red rupee Link readjusted the straps on her saddle. Once he was sure they were tight he climbed onto her back and directed her out into the market. Link took a day or two before actually getting to the task that Zelda had asked of him, she knew he would follow through. Link was wandering through west Hyrule field when he finally decided to get to finding the ring he made his way in the direction of lake Hylia. It was only a short ride before he came to the bridge that spanned the shinning lake. Link led Epona to the middle of the bridge and climbed down onto the stones. Link looked from the bridge into the desert, it was once home to an ancient race of woman warriors that are now long dead. The sun even seemed to reflect off the sand and shone into Links eyes brightly. He averted his gaze to the Arbiter's Grounds where the mirror chamber resided.

A sadness washed over Link as he stared at the towers that rose into the sky.

"I'm in a bad state, aren't I girl?" asked Link to Epona.

Epona snorted and flicked her tail in response.

"I know I worry you, I'm sorry. Now to get rid of this feeling, it's time I faced the chamber." said Link.

"Alright girl, you're free to move around on your own. I'll call you when I need you. Oh and don't eat to much grass, cant have you gaining weight now." continued Link.

Epona tapped one of her hooves in slight annoyance.

"Good girl, see you soon." he said.

Link then took a step back and ran forward the three steps that he could and jumped off the bridge with a loud yell.

As Link fell his stomach turned on him and it was just what he needed to get out of his funk. The adrenaline coursed through him as he fell making his senses sharpen to the point where time seemed to slow for him. His sword and shield clattered as they fought against the wind. The water was approaching quickly and Link pointed his body straight downwards pointing his hands above him together.

The water engulfed him in a split second causing the water to pound against Links body all at once.

A normal person could have died from such a jump but Link was special, his body was built to take a beating so jumping a hundred or more into water was a no real challenge for him.

Letting himself sink into the water a bit Link relaxed his body and gently floated in the midst of the swirling currents. Opening his eyes he began making his way to the surface aiming for the rock that was before Fyers cannon. Emerging from the surface Fyer was already waiting on the rock for Link.

"You really are a daredevil aren't you?" he asked.

Link pulled himself out of the water before responding.

"I needed to clear my mind and nothing like a large drop to fix that for you, Eh Fyer?" Link said.

"I wouldn't know to be honest." he responded.

"You've never taken your own cannon for a test?" asked Link.

"Goddesses no, only Falbi has ridden it and you or any other lunatic crazy enough to try it." said Fyer with a laugh.

"Well I'll be needing your services today." said Link.

"Oh were to? Falbis? Or is it the desert today?" he asked.

"The desert." said Link.

"Alright that will be twenty rupees." said Fyer.

"You raised your prices again." said Link.

"Well business has been slow. Have to make a living somehow friend." said Fyer.

Link handed over the twenty rupees and Fyer opened the canon.

"In you go."

Link stepped into the dark space and awaited the inevitable explosion that would happen beneath his feet. The cannon actually pushed a plate underneath the occupant which launched them to the desired location. As Fyer turned the crank Link could hear the mechanism arming itself and just as suddenly he was flying through the air and into the desert.

Landing in a pile of sand Link dusted himself off.

"Well best get to it." he said aloud.

Link made his way across the desert with little difficulty passing through the old ruins wondering what the lives of the people who lived their years ago was like. Link also remembered that Ganondorf was born in the very same desert, the man who had killed Midna once. The light spirits revived her and broke the curse on her body after Link had struck him down.

The memories came unbidden to him but Link expected many more would come as he made his way through the old fortress. Link entered the Arbiter's Grounds and made his way up and up until he reached the mirror chamber. Entering the quiet area he looked at the giant slab of obsidian that hung in chains. He painfully looked at the empty mirror stand as the memories of that day flooded back to him.

**********************************************************************************************

"Link...I...See you later."

And then she shattered the mirror. She left in a brief moment before he could do anything except reach out to her and shout for her to stop. It was to late the mirror was destroyed.

Link had no idea how long he stood there motionless as Zelda silently shed her own tears. Link fell to the sand on his knees then onto his arms. Looking down he saw fragments of the mirror shimmering in the sand. He began trying to pick up the pieces. One by one. Piece by piece. Tear by tear. The sand beneath him had small dots of moisture from the tears that rolled off of his face.

He kept trying to collect the pieces but as he grabbed them they turned to dust, yet he tried anyways. She had left when it was entering the hour of Twilight, now the shards shimmered with the moons light. Link absently was picking up the pieces. Since she had vanished he had made no noise other then a few sobs. The sound of Zeldas heels on the sand drew him back to reality and the act that he was doing.

"Link...it's over...she's gone." she said.

Hearing it tipped Link over the edge he rose on his knees and shouted to the heavens in a sad howl.

Zelda tried to put her hand on his shoulder but he brushed it away. In invisible silence the sages bore witness to the events and felt the anguish from Links heart.

Zelda backed away from Link and allowed her personal guards to escort her away back to the castle.

Link however remained, he didn't know how long he sat there starring at the mirror stand now empty. He shifted around the chamber in silence starring at the slab of obsidian wondering why she had done it.

_Why? Why? Why!?_ he thought to himself.

Eventually the sages came down to him.

"Hero, it is time for you to come to your senses." said the sage of light, the leader of the five remaining sages.

Link stared at them all before speaking.

"I loved her...why did she do it?" he asked.

The sages remained silent.

"Why!?" he shouted.

The sages shifted backwards in slight apprehension in fear of Links Triforce. It was the only force that could harm them and they were surprised that it had not activated at his immense anguish.

"We do not know Hero, perhaps she was thinking of her own people." said the sage of Shadow.

"The mirror could be used to send evil into the Twilight realm once again, she did not want to risk it." said the sage of Forest.

"But...why did she have to leave me here." said Link.

"She was going to say something before she left but stopped." continued Link.

"Perhaps it was to hard for her to say what she felt before leaving." said the sage of Fire.

Link could only look down and shed tears to himself.

"We will teleport you to the Master swords pedestal. You shall leave it there and then it will teleport you home." said the sage of Light.

Before Link could respond he was wrapped in a warm white light and then he was in the ruins of the Temple of Time. He unsheathed the Master Sword and held it in front of himself. Looking at the reflection in the blade he saw a flash of a wolf. Sighing he held it over the pedestal and let it drop into place. Soon after the same white light transported him into his house in Ordon. Link took up drinking shortly after and shortly after that is when Rusl intervened and brought Link back into the world.

**********************************************************************************************

Link looked at the Sages columns in turn as they all appeared to greet him.

"Hero, it has been five years." said the Sage of Light.

"What brings you back to our doorstep?" asked the sage of Spirit.

"Zelda sent me to look for a heirloom of the Hyrule family." said Link.

"Ah, I believe this may be what you are looking for." said the sage of Light.

He pulled a small silver ring from his pocket and presented it to Link.

"When she was still the princess and her father was alive he brought her here to view the Twilight mirror as a history lesson. she fell from the pedestal and lost a ring that her mother had left her." said the sage of Fire.

"We used to mentor her you know. And when she lost it we told her we would return it when she could complete our lessons. Eventually she forgot it." said the sage of Spirit.

"Although now she seems to have remembered it. I think she has grown enough that we can return this to her without a history lesson." said the sage of Light as he passed it to Links hand.

"Has anything happened here over these past five years?" asked Link.

"The princess has visited several times and mourns to herself and now and again the dust rises beside the portal then settles once more." said the sage of Light.

"I see. Would it be possible for you to teleport me back to the castle gates?" asked Link.

"Will you not take a few moments to yourself first?" asked the sage of Light.

"Actually, I will." said Link.

He walked up the steps to stand beside the mirrors pedestal. Touching the old and tarnished metal he looked straight ahead to the obsidian slab before him. As he starred at the slab it was as though he could see the outline that the Twilight mirror made when it was activated.

Just as suddenly the old lines began to glow bright white.


	6. Chapter 6

"Midna, we found the portal."

Those words at first made Midnas mind go blank noticing her blank expression Evander called out to her.

"My lady, are you alright?" he asked.

Hearing Evanders voice Midnas face immediately lit into a smile and her hair began to blow a deep amber.

"Yes I'm alright, I will be setting out for you right away." said Midna excitedly as she turned away from the shadow that housed Evanders face.

"Wait...Oh never mind." he said with a sigh as he watched her enter back into the Twilight palace.

***************************************************************************

Back at the location of the new portal Evander had just cut off the connection to the spell he used to contact Midna.

"Well what did she say?" asked Griffin.

"She will be on her way here shortly. Even though it is almost night I'm sure nothing except the ground falling out from beneath her feet could stop her although I'm not sure even that would work." said Evander.

"Well I guess we should start preparing then." said Griffin.

***************************************************************************

Midna rushed to change into a simple set of traveling clothes. Her mind was traveling at a mile a minute, she knew they had found the portal but she needed to see it for herself. Once she was dressed and began to calm down she realized that she had not asked if it even worked. Assuming that if they found it intact then it would still work perfectly fine she allowed a small glimmer of hope to enter her heart.

Midna then rushed down into the main hall calling for her General Jonas.

"Jonas, Jonas where are you." she called into the large hall.

A tall Twilian with blue hair that flowed down to his shoulders stood and cast his dark blue eyes over the crowd looking to who had called his name. He was out of his armor and was about to retire for the night.

"My lady." he said as he approached.

"What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Evander and Griffin have made a discovery that requires my immediate presence. I want you as well as Vincent and Rosalie to join me to their location." said Midna.

"Now of all times you Highness?" Jonas asked.

Midna gave him one of the most serious looks he had seen.

"Right away my Lady, I'll fetch them." he said.

"No need, we are already here." said a feminine voice behind Midna.

The voice belonged to a Twilian who had deep red eyes and fire red hair that flowed down to her lower back that was kept in a tight ponytail. Beside her stood a male twilian with long white hair and piercing silver eyes. Their attire matched each other suggesting that they worked as a pair, they wore simple clothes of pants and shirts with a short robe tied with a sash of turquoise colored cloth.

"My lady, you know that you only need to speak our names and we will be there. We are always watching after all." said the man.

"Ah Rosalie, Vincent. I'm glad to see you two again." said Midna.

"We heard whats happening, I suggest we go and get you to this portal then. Wouldn't want to keep him waiting too much longer now would we?" said Rosalie with a wink.

Midna slightly blushed at it. She had confided in Rosalie as a close friend and she knew all about Link as well as the project to find the portal.

"Don't mind her my Lady, she should mind her manners a bit more." said Vincent.

"It's alright. Now lets get going, we will be moving at full gallop until we reach there. I want all three of you ready in five minutes." said Midna.

With a quick bow the three before here separated to go get their traveling supplies.

_Link I'm so close. Please just wait a little while longer._

**********************************************************************************************

Five minutes later the group of four waited at the Palace gates waiting for their Twilight Stallions to be brought to them.

"Here you are your Highness, the four fastest and strongest of our horses." said the stable master.

Climbing into the saddle the four nodded to each other knowing that at full gallop conversation would be difficult except for hand signals. Jonas took the lead with Midna directly behind him, to her right and left rode Vincent and Rosalie.

"Right, lets go." said Jonas as he gave his horse a quick tap on the sides.

The four set off at full gallop directly from the gates kicking up a cloud of dirt and dust behind them. They had left before night had fully set and even though they had left directly after Midna finding out about the portal it would still take them a day and a half at least to make it there. They had to let the horses rest at some point.

**********************************************************************************************

After making a few short stops to let the horses rest the group managed to make it to the sapping fields within the next thirty six hours. It was just after noon when they arrived and the scholars that were at the base camp saw them a long while before they arrived.

"Your Highness, hurry this way. We found several things that you need to see before the portal." said a scholar.

The scholar led them to the entrance where Evander and Griffin stood waiting.

"My lady." they both said in unison.

"Take me to it." said Midna.

The group of six now made their way down the long flight of stairs until they reached the level of the portal.

Midna looked around her and saw a large number of scholars all in one room at the end of the hall but Evander led them to the left instead.

"Midna, look at this." he said.

As she entered the room she took in her surroundings, it was a small square room that had two pedestals inside of it, upon these pedestals were two medallions made of a strange black metal. It appeared to shift and move with the light.

"We don't know what these are exactly but they seem to have ancient Twilian on them." said Evander.

Midna took a step forward and examined each medallion. They were identical in every way.

"These markings here are the ancient Twilian words for Shadow, and these ones here are for Light. The symbol in the middle of the medallion is a ancient magic sign for conjoined or combined." said Midna.

Evander and Griffin both gave her a look of shock.

"What, all members of the royal family know how to read ancient Twilian, it is a secret passed down from ruler to ruler." said Midna.

"Sometimes I curse the royal line. That knowledge would help the scholars greatly but alas it is a royal secret after all." said Evander.

"You'll learn it in time after examining enough old tomes, I just cannot teach you directly." said Midna.

"Wait, these are saying they combine light and shadow. Then that means these are medallions that will allow Twilians to walk in the world of Light. You said yourself that without the help of the Princess of the world of light you would have died. Perhaps these have the same effect." said Griffin.

"I believe you are right." said Midna.

"My lady not to interrupt but I know that you want to be the one who goes through the portal first. I cannot allow that. This realm needs its leader and since their are two medallions why not allow Vincent and Rosalie to go instead." said Jonas.

Midna was just about to say how she should be the one to go but stopped.

"Alright, but if they do not return within dour days I will be going myself." said Midna.

"Fair enough. Now are you two alright with this?" asked Jonas.

"I think seeing this new world will be fun." said Rosalie.

"I agree, a new challenge awaits us." said Vincent.

"Very well allow me to show you to the portal itself." said Evander.

He led the group out into the hallway and down to where the other scholars were busy examining the markings on the walls.

As the group entered the scholars left so they could have the room to themselves. Entering Midna was smiling but it soon faded.

"Wait...this isn't anything like the Twilight mirror, all there is is a hole." said Midna.

"We were afraid of that as well. We aren't sure if there ever was a portal here. The signs say it was here but it may have been moved or destroyed." said Evander.

No one noticed that Griffin was crouching down next to the hole.

"But... this was my last chance...to finally see him again." said Midna her voice cracking.

"My lady, I'm sorry but if the portal is not here then all we can do is leave." said Evander.

"Woah!" came a shout from the hole.

"Griffin what are you doing?" asked Evander.

The group gathered around the circle in the ground to look at Griffin.

"I fell in and..." he said.

"And what?" asked Evander.

"And I found the portal! Look!" he said excitedly.

Griffin then began wiping away at the ground before him lifting dust off the bottom of the hole a small glimmer could be seen.

"My lady, what is one of the most rare resources we have in the Twilight realm." asked Griffin as he continued to shift the dust.

"Silver. Why?" responded Midna.

"Yes and silver holds magical properties in this realm. Does it not make sense to use it as a catalyst for something like a portal." said Griffin.

Griffin extended his hand to be helped out of the hole where Evander heaved him out as the dust still rose.

"What was the point of that?" he asked.

"The portal is still here. It was just covered in dirt. Look there." he said.

The group looked into the hole and found that Griffin was correct. He had uncovered poured silver lines that looked exactly like the ones found on the Twilight mirror.

"Now where is the obsidian slab?" asked Midna.

"From what you described it as this room would not be able to hold such a thing." said Evander.

"Actually it can." said Griffin.

"We are deep below ground, the obsidian is directly above the portal and I'm assuming that it goes rather far upwards as well." he continued.

"How did you know that?" asked Evander.

"I didn't until I looked up when you helped me out of the hole there." said Griffin sheepishly.

"Ok that solves the portal and the obsidian but how does it reflect the image into the obsidian?" asked Midna.

"That is where you come in, but first we need water. The scholars earlier found carvings that signified water being poured into the hole before us. Then later we also found that only someone with strong Twilian magic could activate the portal thereafter." said Evander.

Midna couldn't help herself from smiling. She knew now that everything was coming together and that she would see Link once again.

Shortly after figuring out what needed to be done the hole was filled with water and the rest of the scholars left to return to the base camp. In the midst of bringing the water one scholar found a small scripture saying that the entrance would seal itself after the portal was activated. Anyone inside would only have a short amount of time to get out.

Vincent and Rosalie dawned the medallions and prepared for what lay ahead of them. Once the medallions were on their bodies seemed to be covered in a protective light.

"I don't know where this portal will take you to in the world of Light. I can only hope that it is close to Link." said Midna.

The two nodded in unison ready for Midna to open the portal.

"Be safe you two. Is everyone else ready to run out of here?" asked Midna.

The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

_Alright, I need to focus now. Bring forth the feeling of the ancient Twilians magic. Call it unto yourself._ thought Midna.

Midnas hair had begun to glow a deep crimson as she focused her magic into her hands. She then knelt down and placed her hands on the surface of the water and as soon as she did so the silver reacted and began shooting light up and into the obsidian. Midna was half tempted to lean into the Light and let it take her to Link but she stood and backed away. Nodding to Vincent and Rosalie she and the others turned and began running back up the stairs as quickly as they could taking two to three steps at a time.

Vincent and Rosalie remained in the room together.

"You ready?" asked Vincent.

"Of course, lets make Midna smile again." responded Rosalie

Grasping each others hand they stepped back then jumped into the column of light before them and instantly vanished.

**********************************************************************************************

As the pair vanished and the entrance sealed itself off the group managed to make it out into the open air. The door that also blocked off the portal room had sealed itself displaying the eye with spikes coming out of it. The eye had begun to glow a dark menacing red.

Deep in another realm that sat next to the Twilight realm a long forgotten evil had been sealed away locked in eternal slumber so long as the seals on it remained in place.

_Ahhh finally. After all these eons of waiting. Someone has finally broken my seal. Although I am not whole I can still send my minions after my fragments._

_"Go now my minions. Go forth and find my fragments, open the gates to the Twilight Realm and reclaim my homeland!"_

The being that issued the orders was nothing but a shadowy mass with one glowing eye. This one however blazed orange.


	7. Authors Note

Hello everyone, greetings to you all. If you would like to give me your opinion on my story thus far I'd greatly appreciate it. Feel free to message me with any thoughts, concerns or critiques any and all are welcome. Enjoy reading -Vir Honestus


	8. Chapter 7

The light that suddenly appeared on the obsidian slab within the mirror chamber flashed to life in so quick an instant neither Link or the sages had much time to react. The light formed rings and markings of the old Twilight Mirror except that they did not spin or deepen into the rock, instead they remained right on the surface perfectly still. The next instant two figures clutching their hands together began to materialize in front of the glowing symbol. Once they were whole again gravity took over and the two, one male and one female, fell roughly six feet to the ground. They apparently were not expecting it as they both shouted as they fell.

Link had not moved from his spot in pure shock, two beings that were unmistakably Twilian had just emerged before him. After five years, the one day he does go back to the mirror chamber and then this happens. Unsure of what to do Link just stood there watching the two get up and dust themselves off as they took in the world around them. The sages also waited patiently for the two to speak first.

"So this is the world of light that our lady told us about." said the male.

"Its...Amazing, I never thought I'd get to see something like this." said the female.

"I suppose we should begin looking for our target, wouldn't want to keep her waiting." said the male.

The two then noticed Link starring at them from above on the mirrors pedestal.

"Looks like we wont have to go far at all. He is already here for us." said the female.

At this point Link finally reclaimed his voice.

"Who...Who are you two?" he asked.

The pair bowed together.

"I am Vincent." said the male.

"And I am Rosalie." said the female.

"And we are the personal messengers of the Queen Midna." they said together.

Link lost the strength to stand at that.

"Midna." he said his voice barely a whisper.

"It would appear that he has not forgotten her after all." said Vincent.

"H...How did you two get here. The mirror was destroyed." said Link.

Vincent and Rosalie began walking around the pedestal so they could walk up the steps to face Link who was beginning to stand himself.

"Now that is a good question. You see Midna never did give up on seeing you again. She had her scholars search for years on any information on a portal to the world of Light." said Vincent.

"Once they found a clue she had them scour every book or note that had any information at all on the subject." said Rosalie.

"Eventually one of the scholars found a symbol that led him to create a collection of notes that only one who knows the symbol could find. After that they set out to the location of a portal that was constructed near the time the first of the Twilians appeared." said Vincent.

"When they reached the location only a few days ago they confirmed the existence of the portal and immediately informed our lady on its whereabouts." sad Vincent.

"She had us set out with her as she had to activate the portal with her own magic but the general of her army suggested we go in her stead in case something dangerous happened." said Rosalie.

"And that's how we ended up here." they said in unison now standing directly in front of Link.

Link stared at the two in wonder taking in their features. Rosalies' long red hair and her red eyes as well as Vincents' white hair and silver eyes.

"It seems she is right about the eyes of a beast trapped within." said Rosalie with a giggle.

"I'm standing right here you know." said Vincent with some slight annoyance.

"Oh calm down, he is rather cute. Just what I'd expect from our Queen." said Rosalie.

Link flushed slightly at this and stuttered when he spoke next.

"H-H-How are you not effected by the light of this world?" he asked.

Rosalie and Vincent pulled their medallions from underneath their robes and showed them to Link, although it was the sages that reacted the most.

"Those are light cancelling medallions, only the interlopers could craft them, they were the first to be sent to the Twilight realm. It was magic such as this that eventually sentenced them to that place." said the sage of Light.

"They aren't causing any harm are they?" asked Link.

"Well no but we shouldn't take any chances." said the sage of Fire.

"They came here searching for me on Midnas orders. I'll take responsibility for them." said Link.

"Should they cause trouble, it will be on your head hero." said the sages together as they faded from sight.

"So now what?" asked Vincent.

"I think we need to find another way back, seeing as there is no way back from here. Is there anyone you know of that can give us any information on a different way to reach the Twilight realm?" asked Rosalie.

"I suppose Zelda could but by the time we get there it will be in the middle of the night." said Link.

"Then I guess we will have to speak with her tomorrow." said Rosalie.

"We better get going then. Are you two able to slip into the shadows as Midna did?" asked Link.

"Any Twilian can do that. But good idea, that will be easier on us." said Vincent.

Together the two shifted into Links shadow and vanished from sight.

"Can you still hear us?" asked Vincent.

"Yes." responded Link.

"Good, because we will have questions along the way." continued Vincent.

"And I have some for you. But for now they will have to wait. I need to get us out of here first." said Link.

In a leap of excitement Link vaulted over the iron fences that surrounded the mirror chamber and began scaling down the stones that made up the entirety of the Arbiters Grounds. Time had weathered holes and pits in the stones giving for great hand and foot holds. Link moved quickly down the side of the building until he could see sand below himself. He then pushed off the wall adding in a back flip as he fell through the air. Hitting the sand it was soft enough to break his fall and he landed safely without injury.

"She was right, you really are crazy." said Rosalie with a laugh.

"I'm sure that whatever she has told you may be a bit exaggerated." said Link as he smiled to himself.

"Right now which way is it to this Zelda?" asked Vincent.

Link scanned the horizon for Hyrule Castle, the only part he could see was the near finished top, seeing it he pointed a finger into the distance.

"Seems that it is very far then." said Rosalie.

"Oh and the Zelda I am referring to is the current ruler of Hyrule. Midna must have mentioned her." said Link.

"She did to me at least." said Rosalie.

"Yes it seems she left out some details when speaking to me." said Vincent with annoyance.

"Its girl talk dear, you wouldn't understand." said Rosalie.

Link smiled at how the two bickered with one another as he set out at a sprint across the desert in the direction of lake Hylia.

As Link neared the edge of the desert Vincent and Rosalie were still talking with one another about the world around them, Knowing that the edge of the desert mesa was approaching Link decided it would be good to have some fun with them.

"You two need to get out of my shadow now and run with me, we are approaching something dangerous and I may need your help." he said.

Immediately the two emerged alongside him struggling to keep up with his speed.

"Hurry up or the sand worms will get you." he shouted to them.

Looking down at their feet the two became nervous and sped up to Link as he began to slow down as the edge of the mesa approached.

"No sand worm is going to get us." the two shouted as they ran passed then suddenly then began falling as they came over the edge of the mesa and the surrounding bowl of Lake Hylia appeared underneath them.

Before they realized they were falling they took in the beauty that the hour of Twilight gave the world around them, then as their stomachs sank they began to shout as they fell. Link dove off the edge and pointed himself straight down to catch up to them. He grabbed each of their hands and they immediately re-entered his shadow out of fear.

Link hit the water with a splash, to him it was nothing and his earlier jump off the bridge was much higher than the mesa.

Link swam under the water towards Fyers cannon and emerged from under the surface. Climbing onto the piece of land Vincent and Rosalie both emerged from his shadow with a look of anger.

"Just what was that. No warning about the edge?" asked Vincent.

"I thought I was going to die." said Rosalie.

Link was struggling to keep his face calm but failed at doing so.

"You should have seen your faces when you started falling." said Link as he laughed. For him it was one of his first genuine laughs in a long while.

Vincent and Rosalie both sighed together.

"L-L-Link! Who are these creatures with you!" shouted Fyer from his cannon.

"Oh Fyer no need to worry, they are friends of mine." said Link.

"I-If you say so." he said.

"Oh yea you two may want to stay in my shadow from now on when around people. They aren't used to Twilians so they may act out of fear or anger." said Link.

The two nodded and waited for Link to guide them.

"We are going for another fall. There is your warning." he said with a smile.

Link walked towards Fyer and asked him if he could fire them up to the top of the bridge. Once the agreement was made Link motioned for Vincent and Rosalie to enter the cannon.

"Ladies first." he said as he allowed Rosalie in ahead of him. Vincent went next and Link followed inside after.

The three heard the cranking of gears turning and Link warned them to brace themselves.

The sound of an explosion rang in their ears as they were thrust into the sky the two Twilians screamed as they held each other while Link just smiled at their reaction. The three landed safely on the far side of the bridge away from Falbis hut.

"Alright you two back into the shadow." said Link as the two breathed deeply from the flight they had just endured.

Annoyed at all the flying they had done the two entered Links shadow once more. Link then began walking in the direction of South Hyrule field.

"Isn't the castle that way?" asked Vincent.

"I'm looking for something first." said Link.

Finding the grass he needed he plucked a piece that was shaped like a horseshoe and blew a few notes into one end. The notes rang out across the ground and the whinny of a horse could be heard in the distance, shortly after the sound of horseshoes galloping across the ground approached them and Links horse Epona neared them. The large Clydesdale stopped in front of Link allowing him to pat her head.

"Good girl, you ready to ride?" he asked.

Epona tapped her hoof in response.

Link then climbed into her saddle and directed her towards the castle. Unfortunately it was already growing dark and the moon had begun to rise over the horizon.

"You two should rest, we have a bit of time before we reach the castle." said Link.

Appreciatively Rosalie and Vincent drifted into a light sleep to the sound of Eponas hooves hitting the ground, Link himself however could not sleep due to the excitement of the appearance of two Twilians both of which had been sent to find him. Midna was still looking for him.

_Don't worry Midna, now that these two have found me I'd tear down the sky if that's what it took to see you again._


	9. Chapter 8

Vincent and Rosalie were awoken from their light sleep to the sound of Eponas hooves changing from the dull thud of grass and dirt to the clicking of stone. It was approaching early morning and the horizon had just begun to change from the black of night to the shades and hues of purple and reds.

"Where are we?" asked Vincent.

"We are approaching the castle. I suggest you two remain silent and out of sight until we are alone with Zelda." said Link.

"I suppose we could do that. We should hurry though. We need to contact Midna somehow." said Rosalie.

"Well the boundary between this realm and the Twilight realm is weakest at the hour of Twilight at sunrise and sunset. We wont have enough time right now so we could try tonight." said Link.

"Yes that seems like it would be the best option we have." said Vincent.

Link nodded as he led Epona towards the castle. Once again the guards stopped him before realizing who he was, after realizing their mistake they allowed Link to pass without incident. He made his way directly to the castle door then climbed off of Epona. Knocking on the door Link awaited an answer. He did not have to wait long as Zeldas butler Cyrus responded quickly.

"Ah Master Link, welcome back. What can I assist you with this morning." he said as he ushered Link into the castles entry hall.

"I'm looking for Zelda. Is she busy right now?" asked Link.

"She had to rise early this morning to attend a council meeting. Although if you hurry you may yet catch her before it begins. Might I suggest the lift?" asked Cyrus.

"That is the quickest way I suppose." said Link.

"Right this way then." said Cyrus as he led Link to an ordinary looking wall.

Something tugged at the back of Links mind telling him it was no ordinary wall.

Cyrus then pushed his hand onto one brick and the wall slid back into itself revealing a circular room that was pitch black.

"After you." said Cyrus motioning for Link to enter first.

Link entered the small room and Cyrus stepped in after him. At first it seemed as though there was no floor and one was standing on thin air as the door slid shut and plunged the room into darkness.

As soon as the door clicked back into place a golden glow appeared beneath Link in the design of floral shapes that started in the center of what was a small circular tube. The light then began to rise and it brought Link and Cyrus along with it moving them at an impressive speed.

Cyrus stopped the lift at a predetermined location.

"Alright this is the floor that the meeting will be held. If you were in time then Zelda should be on her way there now from the floor below." said Cyrus as Link stepped out of the lift.

"Thanks Cyrus." said Link.

"Anytime young master." he responded as the wall slid shut once more.

Link then began waiting in the hallway that extend to his left and right, it held suits of armor and a thick red carpet running down its middle. The windows were high on the walls and held tapestries bearing the Hyrule family crest between each other.

Link waited as he heard footsteps of several people coming up the stairs. The source of the noise was soon visible as Zelda and her four personal guards walked up the steps and made their way down the hall. The guards were displaying their custom sword on their hips that Rusl had made the four different gems shinning in the dull light of the morning.

As they neared Link waited against the wall and was surprised when they walked right past him. Link noticed Zelda seemed half awake at the moment.

"Well lads, it seems you are slacking a bit if you didn't notice me standing here." said Link as they passed.

The sound of swords leaving their sheathes rang out in the hall as four blades were pointed at Link.

"Alright boys you know you couldn't beat me in a fight." said Link.

"Link what are you doing here this early in the morning?" asked Zelda as he guards slid their swords back into place and relaxed once they knew it was Link.

"I have something very important to tell you." he responded.

"Now? I have a council meeting to go to." said Zelda.

Link just gave her a stern stare to let her know it was serious.

"Alright, alright lets find an empty room." said Zelda.

After walking down the hall they passed an open store room.

"Good enough?" asked Zelda.

"Yep, seems good to me. In we go." responded Link.

Zelda walked in and Link followed shutting the door behind them.

"Would you mind soundproofing the room?" asked Link.

Zelda responded by murmuring a few words and shimmer appeared around the room.

"Alright now what did you need to tell me?" she asked.

"Well for starters I 'found' your ring. You could have just told me that the sages had it." said Link.

"Well it was embarrassing and they kept it all because I didn't study." said Zelda.

The two shared a laugh before Links tone became more serious.

"And secondly, Midna had been looking for a way to get back to this realm." he said.

Zelda sighed before responding. "Link you haven't been back to the mirror chamber in five years, now you tell me that the first time you go back something has happened. Am I right?" asked Zelda.

"Yes, but I'm serious about this one, two twilians came out of the obsidian slab." he responded.

"I think you are being ridiculous, nothing has emerged from that stone since Midna destroyed the mirror. Can you not let go of the past." said Zelda.

"I have proof." said Link.

"Show me then." said Zelda.

Link then crouched away from her and began talking to his own shadow.

"Oh and now you are going to mock me by speaking to your own shadow. If you don't have the proof then I must be...going." she said as two forms began emerging from Links shadow.

Looking at them she could tell right away that they were Twilian, one male and one female. Zelda then opened the door to the storage room slightly and issued an order to her guards.

"Tell the council the meeting is canceled for the day and I am not to be disturbed. That includes you four as well, take a day off. I know you need it." she said.

Link could hear the soldiers armor click as they went to relay Zeldas message.

"Alright you now have my full attention. Who are you two?" she asked.

"I am Vincent." said the male.

"I am Rosalie." said the female.

"And we are the messengers of her Highness the Queen Midna." the said in unison.

"Its a pleasure to make your acquaintance." they continued.

"Likewise. Link I'm sorry for doubting you. But what you were telling me seemed so far fetched. I apologize." said Zelda as she bowed low towards Link.

"You don't have to be sorry. I know it seemed unlikely even though it happened right in front of me." said Link.

"Not to interrupt but time is of the essence right now. The sooner we get back to the Twilight realm the better." said Vincent.

"Yes but how will we get you back?" asked Link.

"I don't know of any ways and I doubt the sages will tell us anything." said Zelda.

"Perhaps this castles library?" asked Rosalie.

"We won't find anything there. I scoured it throughout these five years looking for a way to get back to the Twilight realm." said Link.

"I don't know of anywhere else that could give any information...unless that could give us a clue." said Zelda.

"What? What could give us a clue?" asked Link.

"Well when my father was alive he told me once of a secret beneath the castle. When Ganondorf destroyed the castle the blast revealed a tunnel that ran deep into the earth. I had the builders construct an opening to it but I have not ventured into them yet." said Zelda.

"I guess its better than nothing. Lead the way. You two should probably hide in my shadow until we get there though." said Link as they left the room.

Zelda then led them through the castle to a corridor that led to the servants quarters.

"Well this is it." she said starring at another blank wall.

Once more something pulled at Links mind telling him it was more than that.

"I sealed it using my Triforce so no one would stumble upon this by mistake." she continued.

She then focused her magic and the Triforce on her arm began to glow dimly as the wall reacted displaying the same Triforce as her own.

The wall then disappeared into thin air and revealed a large tunnel that slopped downwards. A rush of air flowed out at them pushing their clothes and hair back.

"Did you bring your lantern by chance?" asked Zelda.

Link then reached into his pouch and produced his lantern. Lighting it gave a warm golden glow to the area around him.

"I guess I'll lead the way." he said.

Link then entered the tunnel as Vincent and Rosalie emerged from his shadow, they allowed Zelda to enter first then followed behind into the dark.

The wall reappeared sealing them in the tunnels now entirely. Once the wall was back even Links light seemed dim in the inky darkness. All they could see was a few feet in front of him and the walls on the sides. For a short way one could tell that the stone was new and recently laid, but that soon ended when the stones went from new to moss covered and wet with heavy and old air. It seemed to take an eternity to reach the bottom of the tunnel but once they did reach it the group emerged into an opening that appeared so vast that Links lantern was only a small circle of light. The ceiling of the tunnel that they had been able to see vanished into a vertical line and one could tell that the opening spread out in several directions all at once.

"What is this place?" asked Zelda aloud.

"Shhh!" whispered Link. "I hear something." he continued.

In the distance although it was faint Link could hear a skitter and a scatter. He couldn't tell if it was getting closer just yet because the sound reverberated around the room. Link slowly drew his sword as Zelda moved closer behind him. The sound of steel sliding from its scabbard rang out loud and clear. Vincent and Rosalie faced diagonally from Link with their arms raised and a strange red glow around them. The group moved together with Zelda in the center of them all as they slowly made their way into the room. Link passed Zelda the lantern so he could be ready for anything meanwhile the skittering continued.

"What was that?!" asked Zelda in nervousness.

"Where?" asked Link.

"Over there on the edge of the lanterns light." she said.

Link stood still and listened for a sound, as he stared at where Zelda had pointed he was unaware of a presence getting closer and closer to him from his left.

"Zelda I don't see anything." he said.

"I know it was there." she said.

"Well it may be gone no-!" Link shouted as his legs were dragged out from under him and he was pulled away from the group.

"Link!" Zelda shouted after him.

The three tried to chase after him in the darkness but to Link the small lanterns light kept getting further away as he slid across the floor. He then brought his sword up and slashed at the area near his feet. His sword made contact with something then sheared through it. The sound that followed was a loud blood curling shriek that seemed to be directly in front of Link yet not at the same time. Link stood at a ready stance despite not being able to see anything at all. What he could see of his lanterns light was a small dot in the distance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We have to go after him!" shouted Zelda.

"And receive the same fate as him?" asked Vincent.

"We can't stand here and do nothing." said Rosalie.

"I know that, but he was dragged away by something we can't see. We don't even know if we are going in the right direction." said Vincent.

"Well I'm going. Something beneath my own castle will not stop me." said Zelda as she took off at a brisk run in the direction she could feel Link was taken.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Knowing he could not see Link closed his eyes. No use having them open if it was the same effect. Instead he focused on his hearing. Focusing he could hear a shifting moving around him in circles and quickly. Link struck out in the direction the noise was coming from and felt nothing. Listening once more Link could hear a faint whisper.

_Death, death is coming for you._

_Will you let it carry you away or will you resist._

_Fight and you will be lost forever. Flow with it and be led to something hidden._

"Hidden what do you mean?" he asked aloud.

_Follow me, forward now._

Link at first refused to move forward when a sudden blow to his body came from nowhere.

_To the right._

Link tentatively took a few steps forwards and the pain vanished.

_Turn left and walk._

Link walked until the whisper stopped.

_Move to your right._

Link shifted to his right and await the next order.

_Do you love her? Do you want to see her again? Would you give your own life for hers?_

"Just what are you? A spirit? A ghost?" asked Link.

_I am forgotten. Open your eyes._

Link opened his eyes and was not surprised to find himself still trapped in darkness. The shuffling had stopped and he assumed he was alone with the voice in his head. Link tried to take a step forward and hit his leg on a pillar before him. He raised hi hands to the pillar but nothing was in front of him. It was actually a pedestal. Link placed is hand on the cold damp stone before him. In the center was a stone he couldn't see it but knew it was no ordinary stone. It was smooth and flat, he picked it up and had to shield his eyes from the sudden light that appeared from beneath it. A single beam of light shot up from the pillar and went towards the ceiling where it bounce off what had to be a mirror and moved back the way he had come. It shed light on the ceiling above and moved about the ceiling creating a pattern. Link marveled as the symbol of the Hylian family crest was made from light. It then bounce to what Link assumed was the opposite side of the room where it re-entered a similar pedestal. Completing its path activate a series of events that started with torches being lit along the walls. The torches went from the floor to the ceiling all while the family crest remained visible. Torches then were lit beneath the floor it what had to be ancient glass casings.

The room began to become more and more visible. Link could see Zelda and the others as he began walking towards them. As Link walked he followed the torches path as they began lighting up a staircase. The staircase rose high into the room so that he could not see what was on it. When he finally reached the group Zelda was the first to react. She leaned forward and hugged him.

"I'm glad you're alright. But what happened?" she asked.

"I'm not really sure. I was dragged away and then led to a pedestal which created the light we see above our heads. It seems this place is for the Hylian family." said Link.

"What do you suppose is at the top of those stairs?" asked Vincent.

"Only one way to find out." responded Link as he took the first step.

Climbing the stairs gave Zelda a feeling of nervous anticipation. Just what secret had her father found here.

Once the group reached the top of the stairs they were shocked to find a skeleton still in royal robes long dead with a crown upon its head. It held a goblet in one hand and a key in the other.


	10. Chapter 9

Link approached the skeleton cautiously with his sword drawn, its blade reflecting the light of the Hyrule family crest onto the bones that still sat in a throne. As he neared he observed what the skeleton still had upon it. There was a crown of gold resting to one side of the skull, it wore royal robes faded from deep royal red to a lighter shade that could barely be seen under the dust.  
On its arm it wore an armband that had markings Link could not recognize, one hand held a silver goblet and the other held a old iron key that seemed to be in pristine condition.

"Link be careful." whispered Zelda from behind him.

Link paused before moving forwards once more. Now nearly five feet from the skeleton he moved even slower. Link new well enough that skeletons from ages long forgotten seemed to have a tendency to keep walking even after they were dead. Sure enough when Link stood before the skeleton its eye sockets began to glow a deep red as the bones clicked and clacked together. Link brought his sword back to strike at the skeleton.

"Bring me wine." the skeleton said.

Link paused and stared at the skeleton. "Eh?"

"Do I have to repeat myself boy, bring me wine." said the skeleton.

Letting his sword slowly lower Link responded to the skeleton.

"There is no wine here. What are you doing in this place?" he asked.

"No wine...Oh yes that's right. How long has it been? A few years? Hundreds of years?" asked the skeleton.

"Step closer boy. You remind me of someone." continued the un-dead bones.

Link took a tentative step forwards when the skeleton suddenly moved and grabbed Links wrist dust falling from the bones. The skeleton stood as his bones creaked. Standing near a full head taller than Link the glowing red sockets seemed to pierce Links soul.

"Hmm, the same eyes and spirit but you are not the one I know. Most likely another reincarnation." said the bones.

"Just who are you?" asked Link returning the skeletons stare.

Releasing Links wrist the skeleton stood, still clutching the iron key in one hand, it then began walking towards Zelda with the sound of old leather boots coming from the ground. Somehow the boots on the skeleton along with its royal attire had not fallen apart with decay.

"Now you remind me of someone else. My daughter. She fancied the first hero quite a bit. Your hair is different but the spirit is once more the same. Show me your hands." said the skeleton.

Link and Zelda extended their hands out as their Triforces began to glow.

"There can be no mistaking it then, you really are the reborn hero. As for the answer to your question. I am the first king of Hyrule. Daphnes Harkinian Hyrule." said the skeleton.

"Impossible. The first king would have been over a thousand years old by now." said Zelda.

"Yet here I stand, you may call me Daphnes. Is Ganon still alive?" asked the dead king.

"Ganon? You must mean Ganondorf. It is what he is called in this time, although like us he could be a different one from your time." said Zelda.

"That seems reasonable enough although If he has the name of Ganondorf there can be no mistaking him as the king of evil. But is he alive?" asked Daphnes.

"No I saw to that." said Link.

"Good it brings me great relief to hear that." said Daphnes.

"Now why are you still here and alive in some sense?" asked Zelda.

"I was cursed with undeath by the first Ganon and sealed within my own tomb, once he had the Triforce of power he wanted to experiment with his power and caused me to live forever in my own death unable to leave this place." said Daphnes.

"I'm sorry to hear that." said Zelda.

"Worry not, now tell me why are you four down here? My you two do look strange though." said Daphnes finally acknowledging the two Twilians.

"We came to look for a way to travel back to their world, the Twilight realm." said Link.

"Hmm...Twilight Realm." said Daphnes scratching his chin in what seemed to be a habit from his actual life. Most likely scratching his beard.

"Never heard of it." said the king.

"When you were alive was there any means of teleportation magic?" asked Zelda.

"Well there was one such thing. It was known as the archway to the gods. It only worked when the sun set or rose." said Daphnes.

Links face lit up in excitement.

"That sounds very close to what we need. That makes sense for the Twilight realm seeing as the barrier between the two worlds is weakest at the hours of Twilight." said Link.

"Where is this archway located?" asked Zelda.

Since the skeleton had no skin or flesh the group could not see its smile but they could feel it.

"Now that is a lucky thing, it just so happens to be within this very tomb. I had my builders construct my tomb around it since it had captured my eye so many times." said Daphnes.

"But how would you have seen it if we are below ground?" asked Zelda.

"When I was alive it was on the surface and it was a thing of beauty, completely normal during the day and night but when the sun set it would give off a brilliance unlike any other." said Daphnes.

"Something must have happened to cause it to be so far under the ground. And we don't know if it really does lead to the Twilight realm." said Zelda.

"Can you show us to this archway?" asked Link.

The ancient king twirled the iron key in his hand thoughtfully.

"Why do you want to get their so badly?" asked the king.

"I have someone I love dearly waiting for me there." said Link answering honestly.

"Ah and act of love. I doubt now that you know about it I could stop you, that was one thing about the first hero. Once his mind was set on something he always would do it. Whether it was worth it or not." said Daphnes.

Link just gave the king a long stare as he continued to twirl the key.

"I suppose I can show you the archway, although I can not promise you anything about if it leads to where you want to go. I never went through it." said the king.

Turning from the four the skeleton walked to its ancient throne and stepped around it going towards the wall behind it.

"Where is it?" he mumbled to himself as they listened to the click of a bony hand on the wall removing dust.

"Ah here it is. Come closer all of you." said Daphnes.

The group moved around the throne and they watched as he inserted the key into the wall and turned it with an audible loud click. The walls then separated from each other and slid effortlessly into the walls to the sides of them.

Beyond the doorway lay a breathtaking sight. In the center of a circle of deep green grasses was an archway that looked to be of ancient rock, some were missing yet the ones that remained floated in the air by a magic force, around the archway was what appeared to be pillars that had fallen and were now laying in half on the grass, despite the time that had passed the pillars held their color of pure white marble. Around the circle of grass was a waterway that also surrounded the grass. To reach the island of green you would walk over a small bridge. From above their seemed to be a light made from magic that cast a clear and pure light onto the area withing the room.

On the walls were carvings of the three Goddesses and many other beings that Link assumed to be deity's. Some of which resembled either Hylians or unknown creatures.

"Welcome to the archway." said Daphnes.

He led the group over to the arch and as they stood before it nothing could be seen except the other wall behind it. There did not seem to be any magic portal or light of any kind.

"The last time I was in this room was shortly after my death. I contemplated going through the portal to end my suffering of being undead. But somehow I resisted. After I slept for a long while until a man also bearing a crown and saying he was the current King of Hyrule entered my tomb. He spoke with me quickly and left thinking he was seeing things." said Daphnes.

"That must have been my father." said Zelda.

"Will you leave this door open for us if we leave?" asked Link.

"Certainly. Why are you leaving?" asked Daphnes.

"I need to prepare and gather some things before coming back here. Despite knowing it could lead to Midna." said Link.

"Is that the name of the one you love?" asked Daphnes.

"Yes, it is." responded Link.

"Then you had better not keep her waiting for to long." said Daphnes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Within the Twilight realm Midna had arrived back at the Palace along with Evander, Griffin and the scholars.

"All we can do is wait now." said Midna.

"I hope they made it there alright." said Evander.

"As do I." said Midna.

A short while after they had settled back into the palace a messenger came running into the main hall.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

"Yes what is wrong?" asked Midna.

"An army approaches the palace, they will be here by the evening." said the messenger.

"What?! What army? Is it a Twilian army?" asked Midna.

"No my lady, there are creatures the likes of which I have never seen before and they bear a banner with a single eye on it." said the messenger.

"What are their numbers?" asked Midna.

"We lost count at three thousand my Lady." said the messenger.

"Jonas, have the soldiers lower the palace gates and bar the doors, make sure everyone is inside. Griffin do you know anything about this? He said there was a banner with a single eye. I remember seeing one such eye back at the portal." said Midna.

"I don't know anything about this. I swear." said Griffin.

"Good, then I want you to look into this symbol even more. Scour the library until you find out more. You go with him Evander." said Midna.

"Yes My lady." they said in unison.

"Lets go Jonas, it seems we have a palace to defend." said Midna.

_Hurry you two I don't know how long we can hold out here._


	11. Chapter 10

Link, Zelda, Rosalie and Vincent emerged from the hidden tunnel and breathed a sigh of relief at the fresh air.

"I'll use a spell that allows you to enter so long as it senses your Triforce." said Zelda.

"That would be appreciated." said Link.

"Where are you going to go now?" asked Zelda.

"First, I need to go and get the Master Sword. It could come in handy. Secondly, we need an open space so they can try to contact Midna using a communication spell in the hour of Twilight." said Link.

"Two blades? Oh that's right you perfected using two swords in battle now." said Zelda.

"Yea I have a feeling I'll need it at some point, and better to be safe then sorry." said Link.

"Then you best be off. I can use a spell to transport you a small distance, nothing like the sages but it couldn't hurt to get a head start." said Zelda.

"I appreciate any help you can offer. Alright you two, back into the shadow." said Link.

Vincent and Rosalie silently faded into Links shadow which became a slight shade darker at their presence.

"Alright just hold still. I'm not really sure how far you will end up or where in southern Hyrule for that matter but I'll try my best." said Zelda.

Link closed his eyes as Zelda rose her hands in the air and directed them at him as she began chanting the words of power that would send Link across the surface of the world in a fraction of a second. Link could see light through his eyelids as the spell was complete and then he felt and heard the wind as he was transported outside the castle.

Opening his eyes he was in the center or southern Hyrule field.

"Nicely done Zelda." he said aloud.

He then began looking for a piece of grass to call Epona with.

Finding one he blew a series of notes in and heard her whinny from a northern direction. She had come from the castle after all.

"I'll always be amazed at her hearing. No matter where I am she always hears it." said Link.

"Perhaps she just knows when her master needs her instead." said Vincent.

"Anything is possible." said Rosalie.

Once Epona had reached Link he climbed into her saddle and set off towards the Faron woods.

Link rode in silence for a time pondering if this archway that they had been shown would really lead to the Twilight realm. Unknown to him Epona already knew where it was he would have to go and she began leading her way through the Faron woods as Link was caught in his own thoughts. Epona stopped and snorted loudly to get his attention once she could go no further and he would have to use his claw shots or large vines to progress further.

"Sorry girl, I was just thinking to myself." said Link aloud.

Epona just tapped her hoof in response.

"The horse truly does know her master to well." said Rosalie with a giggle.

"But that bond is probably stronger than most." said Vincent.

"It is." said Link aloud as he braced himself to use his claw shots from branch to branch to get to the lost woods.

Once he had entered the lost woods he looked around cautiously for the skull kid after seeing no sign of him Link proceeded on is way to the ruined temple of time.

"Link, is it true that you can turn into a wolf?" asked Rosalie.

"That is just a painting, why would you assume it to be him?" asked Vincent.

"Midna told me a lot about her journey with you but she never mentioned a wolf so I was curious when the painting of an imp and wolf appeared." said Rosalie.

"I can turn into one. Just not without help first. I need to contact a shadow shard that Midna had. Zant put it in my body in hopes I would not return to my original form but that backfired on him and we used it to our advantage." said Link.

"I want to see that happen sometime." said Rosalie.

"As would I. It seems most interesting." said Vincent.

Link smiled to himself as he walked along the forest, he could sense that Vincent and Rosalie suddenly moved out of his shadow but he didn't say anything and let them enjoy the world around them. It was their first time being there after all.

Link led them through a series of confusing twists and turns which is why the area became known as the lost woods. Eventually they came to a small clearing that had stones piled on top of each other on the other side of it with a hole in the center.

Link jumped down first and landed with a plume of dust in the ruined temple of time. Lacking a roof overhead and being forgotten by man the building was now overgrown and lacked the luster of its former glory, yet standing is such an old building brought a sense of surrealism to any who stood their.

Rosalie came next. Link had to catch her as she jumped down and she landed in his arms almost on purpose.

"Such a gentleman this one." she said with a giggle as he set her down gently.

"Easy there. I'm standing right up here." said Vincent who required no help jumping down despite the height.

From inside the building they could see that the sun was directly overhead.

"Just afternoon I would guess." said Link.

"We should hurry, there are only a few hours before we need to try contacting Midna." said Vincent.

Link nodded and turned towards what appeared to be a doorway that was missing its wall, behind it was a set of stairs that he climbed down quickly. Once down them they stood before two statues that had carvings in them that strangely resembled the marking of twilians. Vincent and Rosalie stared in wonder. They both stepped towards the statues and touched the stone. Immediately the statues came to life and swung the scepters they had in their hands. Vincent managed to evade quick enough but Rosalie was caught on the inside of the large weapon and was then caught in the statues other hand.

"Rosalie!" shouted Vincent.

Link immediately unsheathed his sword as Vincent summoned Twilian magic into his hands. He began throwing bolts of energy into the statue causing it to falter and stagger as the two moved to attack him.

Link dashed behind the statues and tried to attack their legs but his swords just glanced off the stone in a shower of sparks. Looking behind him he could see the Master Sword resting in its pedestal.

"Vincent keep them busy. I need to get that sword." said Link as he dashed to the blade.

Reaching the Master Sword he attempted to pull it from the pedestal but it refused to move.

"What?! Now is not the time for this!" said Link loudly.

"Whats the problem Link, things are getting pretty tight here!" shouted Vincent.

"I'm trying, it wont move!" he shouted.

Vincent rolled under an attack from one of the statues.

"Well you better think of something then!" he shouted to Link.

"Come on, come on!" said Link as he tried pulling on the Master Sword.

Directly in front of Link the Heros shade appeared before him.

"Allow me to help this time." said the shade.

The shade placed is hands on the Master Sword and began lifting as well. It took a second but the Master Sword began moving out of its pedestal.

The sound of a blade moving out of its stone holding rang out loudly as the shade disappeared.

_I will rest within your subconscious until the Master Sword recognizes you as its master once more. I don't know what is blocking it but it should have reacted with you instantly. _

Link nodded and began running back to the statues. Being behind them he slashed at the leg of one severing the stone in a clean slice. Losing its leg the statue fell backwards where Link waited for it to fall to give a finishing blow.

Once the statue lay still he moved on to the next that held Rosalie which Vincent was desperately trying to stop. Vincent then shifted into the statues shadow and reappeared on the statues head. He put his hands together and as he spread them apart a blade began forming out of the Twilian magic. He grabbed the blade and plunged it straight down into the statues head. It stopped it instantly and the markings on it body went dark. The statue released Rosalie and she slumped to the ground unconscious.

Vincent was immediately by her side.

"What happened? Why did those things attack us?" he asked.

"I don't know." said Link.

"Thats not good enough. Rosalie could have been hurt." said Vincent.

"If I knew I would tell you, for now I suggest we leave." said Link.

Vincent picked up Rosalie and carried her away in his arms. Link followed after and then led him out of the Temple of Time.

Once they were out and in the lost woods once more Link had them stop to check on Rosalie.

Vincent shook her gently while he still carried her and he instantly knew she was awake.

Rosalie tried to hide her smile as he spoke to her.

"How long have you been awake?" he asked.

"I uh...just woke up." she said.

"You're lying." he said.

Rosalie then jumped out of his arms.

"I was having such a nice time being carried too." she said.

"You're alright then I take it?" he asked.

"Yes the statue just surprised me is all." she said.

"I should have known." said Vincent.

"I'm sorry I got upset at you Link." he said with bow.

"No apologies needed. I understand." responded Link.

"Shall you lead the way out of here?" asked Vincent.

Link nodded and they eventually came back to where Epona was waiting for them.

Link climbed into her saddle once more as Vincent and Rosalie entered his shadow.

Link then led Epona to his house and went inside. The sun would soon be setting and they would try to contact Midna.

"Mind if we use somethings that might help the connection?" asked Vincent.

"Not at all." responded Link as he made his way towards his cellar.

He then climbed down the ladder and lit his lantern, peering into the gloom he looked for a change of clothes. He changed into a pair of sturdy traveling pants and boots, his top he changed into a grey undershirt and put a black vest on top of it. He then strapped the Master sword to his left hip and the sword he received from Rusl on his right hip. Grabbing his Hylian shield he set it to the side as he put a solid black cloak over himself. He picked up the shield before climbing back up the ladder.

Vincent and Rosalie had located a bowl and filled it with water, they had sprinkled some sort of powder into it that made the bottom of the bowl reflective.

"Now all we have to do is wait a few hours." said Vincent.

They waited until the sky began to change before trying. Once the sky was a deep amber Vincent began using his magic. He formed a drop of what appeared to be pure Twilian magic on his finger and let it drop into the bowl. It turned black and the surface began to shift. Link moved closer to watch.

Suddenly a hazy image appeared and Link knew it immediately to be Midna.

"My lady we found Link and are currently trying to make it back to the Twilight Realm." said Vincent.

"Vincent...palace is under attack...hurry..." said Midnas voice as it cut in and out.

Link stepped in front of the bowl and gazed into the image of Midna.

Midna stopped talking and starred at the image before her. A single tear fell down her cheek.

"Link...hurry." she said as the image cut out.

Link stood up straight from the bowl and had a fierce look of determination in his eyes.

"She said the palace was under attack?" asked Link.

"I believe so." said Vincent.

"Then we don't have time to waste. Lets get going." said Link as he opened his door and climbed directly on to Epona leaving Vincent and Rosalie to dash into his shadow before they got left behind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Midna had stopped in mid sentence talking to Jonas about the defenses on the palace when a black circle appeared before her with Vincents face on it. They said they had found Link and were trying to get back to the Twilight Realm, then Links face appeared in the image and even though he did not speak she could see it from the look in his eyes that nothing would stop him from reaching her.

_Hurry Link, please hurry._


	12. Chapter 11

Link had Epona going at full gallop the whole way back to the castle. He needed to get there before morning. The first King of Hyrule said that the archway opened either at the mornings sunrise of the evenings sunset. Link only hopped he would make it in time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The noise of swords striking steel rang out from the courtyard. The main palace gate had not yet been breached and Midna was issuing orders from the throne room. Jonas was by her side making sure the commands were met, messengers were coming and going in rapid succession relaying information on the current battle.

"There are several large creatures at the rear of the enemies lines, it seems they are waiting for something." said a messenger.

Midna chewed on the edge of her nail in thought.

"What is it that they are after, Griffin and Evander haven't found out anything about that symbol yet as well." she said.

"Perhaps there is no information on it?" said Jonas questioningly.

"There has to be, if Griffin found the symbol then its origins should be there." said Midna.

"Aren't you worried that they could get hurt if the enemy gets inside?" asked Jonas.

"You haven't seen Evander fight have you?" asked Midna.

"No I haven't actually." said Jonas.

"Trust me there is nothing to worry about if he is there." said Midna.

"How heavy are our losses?" she asked.

"For now we are not losing many men and the main gates are holding. For how long I do not know, they outnumber us three to one. If things get worse then we can escape using the hidden exit behind the throne." said Jonas.

"I will not flee while my people die. We just need to wait. I know he is coming." said Midna.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At full gallop Link made it to the castle just as the sun was beginning to rise.

He jumped off of Epona and dashed to the castle door. Not bothering to knock he opened the door himself and began dashing towards the servants hallway. Cyrus noticed his hasty entrance and went to summon Zelda. She had informed him to let her know when Link arrived.

Link made it to the wall in the servants hallway and pressed his hand to the stones. His Triforce began to glow and the wall slid away. Not waiting to see if anyone had noticed him slip through the wall he began sprinting down the sloped passage, running all the way to the large and forgotten throne room he dashed up the stairs to the first kings throne, noticing the skeleton was not there Link went behind it and proceeded to the archways holding room. Standing before the archway was the skeleton of the first king starring through it. Link stepped beside him and looked through the archway. Nothing could be seen.

"You just missed it, the effect was surreal it had an amber glow and it shifted back and forth." said Daphnes.

"By the goddesses, now I have to wait for the evening. Damn it all." said Link.

Vincent and Rosalie emerged from his shadow.

"Link calm down. I'm sure Midna is fine, she has a smart general and strong men guarding the Palace. Have faith in her, she has done the same for you for five years." said Rosalie.

"We know how eager you are to see her, but if things are bad when we get there then you need to be prepared for the worst." said Vincent.

"I know that. I just don't like the waiting." replied Link.

Shortly after Zelda arrived in the archways room.

"Link you look like death, did you sleep at all last night?" she asked.

"No I had Epona ride through the night to try to make it here when the archway opened." said Link.

"Well it seems that you missed it." said Zelda.

"Perhaps you should get some sleep until it opens again?" suggested Rosalie.

"If I can sleep at all." he said.

"I'm sure sleep will overtake you once you lay down." said Zelda.

Link didn't really want to sleep but supposed it would help the hours pass quicker.

He then lay on the soft grass near the archway, he put his hands behind his head and shut his eyes. It did not take long but sure enough he fell into a light sleep.

Vincent and Rosalie sat next to each other silently discussing plans for once they got back into the Twilight realm.

Daphnes wandered about the archways room observing the sculptures and inscription as he had many times before.

Zelda sat near Link and brought her knees to her chest as she wrapped her arms around her legs. She observed the statues from where she sat. Looking over to Link she noticed the black cloak he was wearing and his change of clothes. His black vest along with the grey undershirt made him look rather fetching with his short stubble growing in once more. The cloak lay in a thrown about fashion on the ground around him making it appear as if he was being absorbed by shadows. Although she knew Link loved Midna she could not help but feel jealous that one man would go so far for the one he loved, meanwhile the council still was trying to present her with suitors. Some of them had caught her eye but their personality changed her opinion in a matter of minutes since she could always tell if they were lying.

The hours went by and Link still slept until Daphnes awoke him with a bony hand.

"It's almost time." he said with a whispered voice.

Link stood up and adjusted his cloak, swords and shield. His swords were on his hips and his shield covered the Master Sword on his right side. Vincent, Rosalie and Zelda also stood with him.

"In a few moments the archway will open and a connection will be made. It will only be open for a few minutes. So you must hurry through it." said Daphnes.

"I won't hesitate to go through it." said Link.

"I wish you luck then." responded Daphnes.

"Link, be careful in there. And when you find Midna, tell he I said hello." said Zelda.

Link pulled Zelda into a hug which surprised her.

"Thank you Zelda. I will. Alright you two are you ready?" asked Link as Vincent and Rosalie stood by.

They both nodded. Link then turned to the portal as a dull light began to glow around its edge.

Suddenly the archway was filled with an amber light. It resembled the sky during the hour of Twilight at the point where the boundary between the two dimensions was the weakest. Link, Vincent and Rosalie all ran straight through the portal leaving Zelda and Daphnes starring after them.

"Good luck Link. I hope that really is the Twilight Realm." said Zelda.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The group of now three emerged on the other side of the archway in a space unfamiliar to them. They were surrounded by a circle of stones that appeared to be floating in the sky. Link wandered to the edge of the stones and gazed down into what he expected to be a void. To his shock he could see a large island floating below him unmistakably they were in the Twilight Realm. The island below him had smoke coming off of it and seemed to be connected to a much larger landmass to its left.

"Thats the palace, and its under siege." said Vincent.

"How do we get down there though from this high up?" asked Rosalie.

Link took one step back and jumped off the edge of the small floating island grabbing Vincent and Rosalies' wrists as he moved forward.

"Like this!" he shouted.

The three began falling through the air with a series of screams from the two Twilians.

"Not again!" they both shouted.

"You two get into my shadow!" shouted Link over the air as they were descending rapidly with no real way to stop.

"There is no shadow!" shouted Vincent.

Link placed on hand over his other creating a shadow on the back of his hand.

Vincent and Rosalie nodded to each other knowing it would be a tight fit but once they were in it they would be transported to Links shadow that was on the ground itself.

The two disappeared from the air with a flash. Link now had to worry about slowing down in his descent.

_This may not have been a good idea!_ he thought to himself as he could see a mass of beings shifting around outside the palace, their numbers were large and Link had no idea how many were inside already.

_Come on! Come on! What am I going to do!_

As he fell a strange feeling overtook him and he knew no matter how hard he hit the ground he would land safely. Link fell and fell until he was about to land right on top of the mass of what he could now tell were bokoblins. His speed did not stop and he landed with a shock wave in the center of the army before him. The shock wave had cleared a circle around him as his cloak settled itself along his back, its hood had also covered his head. Link glanced around to the palace and could see that its main gates had been brought down. Link drew the Master Sword as well as his sword from Rusl and began carving a path of carnage through the center of the army, any who stepped to stop him fell in swift motions of his blades. He was back in the Twilight Realm and Midna could be in any amount of trouble right now, he only prayed he was not to late.

Link made a path of bodies all the way to the Palace main gates where the enemy began to thin out. He leaped over the walls and landed in the courtyard. The entry way to the palace was a disaster and Link could see the bodies of two Moblins on the ground. Massive beasts that held large spears of extremely tough and near unbreakable metal.

The fury within Link began to burn even hotter and Vincent and Rosalie could sense it. They emerged from his shadow and drew blades from Twilian magic, they set to following Link as he made his way into the palace.

Slashing and bokoblins that tried to oppose him Link quickly found himself at the throne room, the sight before him made him blank out and the next few moments were a blur to him. He saw the body of one Moblin lying in the center of the throne room, another was engaging a fierce looking Twilian and the last one was aiming to plunge its spear through Midna. She had her eyes closed and was bracing for the blow that was moving to hit her.

Time seemed to slow down as Vincent and Rosalie charged into the throne room in an attempt to save their queen. Link stood as his left hand began to rise in front of his face. Once directly in front of him his Triforce glowed brightly and a beam of light shot out of it and directly towards Midna, in the split second it took for the Light to reach her Link moved faster than one could see and was instantly standing before her facing the Moblin with his cloak flying in disarray behind him. He crossed both of his swords in front of him to stop the Moblins spear.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Your highness, they have broken through into the main palace, we can't hold them back any longer." said a messenger.

"Have any soldiers still fighting retreat to the throne room, we will make our last stand here." said Midna.

The messenger bowed and left to relay the order.

It was not long after when all the soldiers had gathered in the throne room that the masses of bokoblins rushed into the throne room. The soldiers held them off for a time until a large Moblin carved a path through the soldiers and allowed the bokoblins to push forward into the room. The palace soldiers managed to defeat the first moblin but dismay took them when two more emerged. One headed straight for their queen and they were powerless to stop it, the other went for Jonas.

Midna began using her Twilian magic as well as using the fused shards individually to fend off the Moblin until her strength gave way and she was backed into a wall, Jonas managed to wound the Moblin facing him but was also faltering. She was no longer able to wear the fused shards as a whole mask any longer now that her form was back to normal but individually they still held power, although it seemed to have little effect on the Moblin. Midna then saw the Moblin draw back its spear for its final blow to end her life. Knowing that it was over she closed her eyes and shed silent tears in realization that she would not see Link again and that if he ever made it back to the Twilight realm he would learn of her death and be alone in the world once more.

As she braced for the blow that would pierce through her chest she silently apologized over and over, but the blow never came. She opened her eyes just in time to see a black form appear before her. It seemed as though the shadows themselves were wrapped around the form in front of her but she then saw the shadows fall and it revealed itself to be a cloak of pure black threads. Standing before her was a hooded figure but she could see two crossed blades in the split second before it moved again. One was unmistakably the master sword. She had seen it enough to know it. Relief spread through her as shock overtook her and all she could do was stand there frozen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Link crossed his blades to stop the Moblins spear as it moved towards Midna. Time returned to normal and he braced his blades for the impact. The sword he received from Rusl was on top of the Master Sword and would the first to be hit by the spear. The spear itself was only a foot away from him as time returned to normal and the impact was immediate. The Sword from Rusl turned out to be weaker and snapped in an instant but managed to slow down the spear enough for Link to deflect it. The blade of the sword had flown into Links shoulder so quickly he did not even realize it.

Once more he brought his left hand up in front of him and another beam of light shot out of it, the Moblin confused as to why he had missed his target just noticed Link and let out a bellow of rage as the beam of Light touched him. Suddenly the outline of two Triforces appeared around the Moblin, one in front of it that spun slowly and another behind it that spun even slower. To Link the next movements he made appeared in slow motion but to anyone else he moved a superhuman speed.

He struck over and over again outlining the foremost twice over as it began to glow brighter and brighter. Once it was glowing as bright as it would get he delivered a final blow to the center of the Triforce which put had been storing the strength of his previous strikes. Piercing through it he put the point of the Master sword to the Moblins stomach and the built up energy was released from a single point launching the Moblin through the air and into the wall opposite of Link leaving a crater in the wall, Link was assured the Moblin would not be getting up again. Its body had the Triforce carved into it deeply and a hole near its stomach.

Link then turned towards the other Moblin and the process repeated itself. Once the two Moblins were dead Link raised the Master Sword above himself and it began to glow brightly. He brought it down and impaled it into the floor releasing a shock wave as a shout erupted from his body. The Bokoblins began to retreat and the Twilian soldiers glanced at Link before charging after them with new found morale. None but Link, Midna, Jonas, Vincent and Rosalie remained.

Link turned towards Midna and slowly walked to her with the Master Sword in hand, she could only gaze up at him as his eyes began to fade from golden to their natural blue. When he finally stood directly before her he gave her a slight smile before he began to collapse from exhaustion. He fell to his knees and Midna knelt to catch him pulling him into a hug.

She began to cry softly to herself before she completely broke down and was crying into is shoulder. Link let the Master sword fall out of his grasp with a clatter and wrapped his arms around Midna. She was really there and whole.

Link found himself crying as well through his exhaustion. Midna then pushed herself back after a few moments to look at Link. She noticed his facial hair and his long dirty blonde locks. She smiled as she touched his face.

"What took you so long?" she asked softly.

"I'm sorry Midna. I tried, I tried for five years but it was you who found me first." Link responded back.

"I know you tried. I knew you would never give up on me." said Midna.

"N...nev...never." said Link as he fell to his side just noticing the blade from Rusl's sword sticking out of his shoulder and how his clothes were covered in his own blood.

Unconsciousness would soon take him, but he fought against it not letting his eyes waver from Midnas. He drew upon the Triforce once more while he could still feel its presence and pulled the blade from his shoulder himself. The wound poured blood but began to seal itself instantly without leaving so much as a scar. Link rolled over onto his back and watched Midna move around him. She knelt above his head and lifted it so that he could rest against her.

"You're back." she said.

"Yes, I'm back and I'm never letting you go again." he said.


	13. Chapter 12

Despite the emotional reunion between Link and Midna, Jonas let out a loud cough.

"There is still a battle going on outside." he said.

Link slowly stood uneasy on his feet for a moment but it only took a few breaths for him to regain himself.

"How bad is it out there?" asked Link.

Jonas looked to Midna who simply nodded her head.

"Well there is a path of bodies that I can only assume came from you on your way in her, but other than that our troops are doing poorly, we've suffered many casualties and the number is growing. You scared them away from the throne room for the time being but they will come back in force if we sit here and do nothing." said Jonas.

"Right, have your men rally themselves and charge together. One row of shields and directly behind it a row of spears and swords. Have archers volley from the courtyard once we have cleared it." said Link.

Jonas nodded at his commands since Midna seemed to not mind or in fact was listening intently to what Link had to say when he turned to her.

"Can you fight?" he asked her.

"Of course, now that you're here I have nothing to worry about." she said.

"Then lets get going." said Link as the group began jogging from the room.

"Vincent, Rosalie. Can you two handle yourselves?" asked Link.

"Of course we can just point us where to go." said Vincent.

"Alright you two stay with me and Midna. We're going straight through the main force with the wall of shields behind us." said Link.

Link bent down while jogging to pick up a short sword of Twilian steel. He flipped it over in his hand a few times testing its weight and balance. Once satisfied he put it into his right hand with the Master Sword in his left. It only took them a few moments to reach the main courtyard where several large skirmishes were being fought. Link and Midnas group quickly assisted where they could and soon enough the courtyard was theirs except for the constant stream of moblins that were still entering through the main gates.

"Alright Jonas gather your men. Vincent and Rosalie you're with us. Lets go!" shouted Link as he and Midna led the charge through the main gates cutting down any moblins that got in their way.

For Midna it brought back memories of when she and Link fought together, except in those times Link was a wolf and she was an imp although she did not doubt their synergy would be thrown off just because they had their original forms back.

Link, Midna, Vincent and Rosalie began carving a wedge through the moblin force. Midna and Link moved straight forwards while Vincent and Rosalie began diverting towards the right. The pairs sharp curved blades wreaking havoc upon the moblins. Midna rushed behind Link as he hacked and slashed a path for the two. Once they were well and surrounded by the moblins they stopped and backed up to each other.

"You ready?" asked Link.

"Of course I am. I'll follow your lead, just give the signal." responded Midna.

The pairs breathing began to match up and their thoughts seemed as one. The moblins rushed forwards in an attempt to crush them. Link slashed out severing the heads of two moblins before they even had time to swing in defense. He then turned to the next blade and thrust forwards stabbing one in the stomach. He brought the master sword around in an arc an cut its head from its shoulders as well. As the pair fought the spun and stepped around each other. Despite the carnage they were causing Midna found herself smiling that she and Link were fighting together and in a synchronized fashion.

"Switch with me!" shouted Link.

Midna whirled around as he back flipped over her. She had been charging a Twilian magic blast and unleashed it once Link was out of the way. When she finished with the magic blast she used her hair as a fist and swept several Moblins aside.

Shortly after Midnas group had charged into the moblin horde, Jonas had his men assembled into the wall as ordered by Link.

"Alright men, charge!" he shouted and they all moved forwards as one striking down any who dared oppose them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In a deeper plane of existence a mass of shadows that barely resembled a body looked into a orb of what appeared to be blood.

_Impossible. How can my forces be suffering this badly, just moments ago they were within the throne room about to strike down the holder of my fragments when they suddenly died. What is causing this!_ The figure continued to observe through a moblins eyes as it neared a fight within the center of the horde. What the figure saw left it astonished.

_No...it couldn't be. That boy should be dead now for several eons. Yet he does look just like him. If this is so then I will need to reevaluate this situation. Lets see how this boy faces against my wrath._ With a wave of a hand the figure began using magic to recall his moblin warriors back to him in his fortress.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just as Link was about to end another set of moblins they vanished before his blade could reach them. As he looked around more and more of the moblins began disappearing until the whole moblin horde began vanishing at once. When the last moblin vanished the battlefield was suddenly dead silent. The only noise was the crackling of fires within the field and the flap of banners.

Cheers began erupting from the Twilight palace as the soldiers believed that their enemy had retreated. Link on the other hand was not so sure.

"Midna order your soldiers back into the palace. This isn't over." said Link as he looked out into the battlefield and the sky above.

Midna shot a flare of Twilian magic into the air ordering her men to return to the palace courtyard in a hurry. The soldiers complied jogging back into the courtyard gates. Link and Midna slowly began walking back towards the Palace when as Link suspected the sky began to blur. A shout from Jonas brought it to their attention.

As the sky shifted grotesque limbs began reaching forwards from it and planting themselves on the air as if it were solid. As soon as the hole in the sky was wide enough Link could feel an overwhelming magical force emanating from it and a sense of dread he had not felt since he had face Ganondorf five years ago.

The limbs dropped oozing liquid onto the ground beneath them onto the ground where it melted anything in its path. Suddenly the limbs straightened and pulled the main body out which fell to the ground with a resounding thud. The mass of limbs shifted and bulged as cracks and creaks could be heard while bones knit together and sinews connected to give it form. Once it stood up it could only be called a monster. It had a head with three eyes, long legs, arms that were made out of leathery whips and its body was covered in nothing but muscle tissue.

The monster straightened itself and turned to face Link. As it stared at the pair a voice could be heard emanating around the battlefield. "_Kill them both and get my shards from the woman. Lets see how you fare with this challenge. Hero."_

"Midna, get behind me." said Link as he threw away the Twilian steel sword and lifted his cloak to garb his Hylian shield.

Midna did as he asked but not without drawing on her Twilian magic in preparation.

"Don't do anything rash." she said.

Link could only chuckle but the dark energy coming from the monster was enough to shake him to the core. He attached his shield to his right arm and spun the Master sword in his left to ready himself.

The monster stood impossibly still as its muscles bulged and contracted, then without warning it darted forwards giving Link barely enough time to raise his shield in defense of one of its whips as it nearly struck his head. After the first strike the creature jumped back out of Links range.

"Its so fast." he said aloud.

"Be careful Link." said Midna.

Link then began a charge towards the monster, his shield in front of him the Master Sword extended behind him as he drew near it lashed out with its whips striking only Links shield. It then tried to swipe Links legs out from underneath him but Link jumped over the appendage and was withing striking distance he had no hesitation as he brought his sword in front of him in a horizontal slash slicing the monster across the abdomen and then bringing the sword back in a reverse diagonal and using the momentum of the strike to spin his body around to strike in a diagonal from the right leaving a six pointed star on the monsters stomach.

The monster skid back scattering dust and debris as it stared at the injury it had just suffered. Before Links own eyes the wounds started to hiss and steam began rising from them as the muscle knit itself back together. The only thing Link had achieved in his three strikes was angering the monster even further. The monster lashed out so quickly Link could not evade at the range he was at and the blow struck him in the side knocking him to the ground. The monster was quick to respond and tried crushing Link several times but Link was able to roll away before the whips could come down from the air. Once Link was up the monster rushed towards him and instead of lashing out as Link expected it delivered a swift yet powerful kick to Links abdomen which doubled him over and sent him flying at least ten feet backwards where he landed with a thud. Link had no time to recover since the wind had been knocked from his body as the monster raised an arm to swing its whip down onto Link. He struggled desperately to move his body away from the strike and knew it would connect.

The strike however never came as Midna unleashed a bolt of Twilian magic into the back of the monster. It howled in rage and flailed wildly in her direction. Link took the opportunity to stand and move closer towards Midna.

"It would seem I can't do this alone." said Link.

"Well then this time we fight together. Not Like before." said Midna.

Link knew that she was referring to when she had confronted Ganondorf by herself using the fused shadows as a weapon and sent Zelda and himself out into Hyrule field. Link watched in horror as the castle was razed to the ground and Ganondorf held the fused shadow crown Midna had always worn when in imp form.

Midna then brought Links attention back as she focused her magic into her hands to form two small daggers of pure shadow.

"I've learned quite a bit since you've been gone." she said.

Link nodded deciding to trust her.

"I'll follow your lead." she said.

"No this time we will create the dance together." responded Link.

Midna smiled and nodded her head then as one they rushed forwards at the monster. The monster now facing two enemies lashed both arms out at the pair who ducked and weaved around them together. They neared the monster and Midna was the first to strike delivering two quick jabs into its ribs then swiftly moving away. To Links surprise the shadows of the blade remained in place and let off wisps of darkness refusing to let the wounds close. Link then struck it on the opposite carving a gouge from its left shoulder down to its hip which slowly began to reseal itself. Link glanced at Midna who understood the glance. She was to weaken it while Link delivered the final blow.

Midna began darting in swiftly as Link distracted the monster with cuts and shield blocks. To the pairs surprise as both of them were moving in for a strike the monster unleashed its whips in a circular motion knocking both of them away from it. The monster turned to the immediate threat of Midna since her strikes were not healing. It charged her knocking her away even further, it then brought its whips down on top of her. She barely managed to create a barrier in time before it struck. The monster did not relent smashing into her barrier one strike after another. It could see the barrier weakening and cracking, finally the barrier shattered and it wrapped one its appendages around Midnas throat and lifted her in front of its face. Its jaw unhinged, it was going to attempt biting her throat out. Midna lashed out and tried to pry at its leathery whip but it would not budge.

Link stood from being knocked away and could see the monster striking Midnas barrier just as it shattered. He witnessed the monster lifting her in front of its face and rage engulfed Link. He sprinted forwards reversing his grip on the Master Sword pointing it behind him. He reached the monster just as it was bringing Midna closer to its mouth. Link jumped into the air and brought his sword up cutting the appendage off neatly causing Midna to fall to the ground.

"Lets go!" shouted Link.

Midna wasted no time summoning her magic into her hair creating a massive fist. Link then threw his shield into the creatures face smashing its eyes back into its skull. The monster lashed out in agony as Midna wrapped her hand around one of its legs, she then lifted it into the air and brought it back down with a resound crack as its bones snapped and shattered. She released it and once again summoned her two daggers. The monster attempted to rise slowly regaining the bones in its legs. Midna darted behind it and severed the muscles behind its knees and ankles. The monster came tumbling forwards only to see Link roll underneath its body and rise with a two handed slash towards its neck, then darkness.

Link slashed upwards from a reversed back slice and severed the monsters head from its shoulders. The monsters body wreathed and shuttered as the head burst into flames. The body followed soon after burning in a stinking pile of flame that held an unnatural purple color.

Once more over the battlefield a voice was heard.

"_Well done hero, but this is not over. I will return to this land and crush you."_

Once the voice was gone the battlefield was deathly silent until cheering erupted from the palace. Any able body soldier had gathered on the walkways and looked out of windows to watch the fight and once it was over they could not help but cheer for their leader and the mysterious warrior who had come to their aid.

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"Impossible! The wrath was a part of me! How could it have been defeated!? That man is not the boy who defeated my mask, but he is similar in more ways than I care to admit." said the dark figure after witnessing its monster be defeated.

"Perhaps it is because you are not yet whole, Master." said another shadowy figure that emerged from the shadows.

"Ah skull kid, do you remember my Mask?" the figure with a glowing orange eye asked.

"Yes, Master." said the skull kid.

"Good, go and find it, no doubt _he_ is the one in possession of it." said the figure.

The skull kid bowed and disappeared into a thin smoke then was gone.

"Brace yourself hero, for I will return with my mask in hand and you will suffer."


End file.
